The All American Rejects
by Jenna822
Summary: *Novel - Modern AU* Sirius Black has never truly cared about anything in his life. His top priority was having fun. When he meets Remus Lupin, he may discover there are some things worth caring about. *Remus/Sirius and James/Lily* Cᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ.
1. Real World

**Chapter 1: Real World**

**.**

_Welcome to West Lake. _Remus could never resist rolling his eyes at the overly extravagant sign, five feet tall, built with stones imported from Italy. The glossy marble lettering always reflected the sun just right, so that when he drove past the sign it reflected into his eyes. An overly extravagant sign for an overly extravagant town. West Lake was one of those small towns in mid-California, where all of the houses resembled miniature palaces; they were huge with elegant entryways and etched flooring. These were the kinds of houses that had ten bedrooms and four sitting rooms to accommodate the three people living there. The kinds of houses with six car garages all holding imported sports cars and gas guzzling SUVs. The kinds of houses that had smaller houses behind them for guests, because Heaven forbid that a visitor should have to stay in the huge house with the owners.

Luckily for Remus, these houses were owned by people who wouldn't dare mow their own yards, plant their own flowers, clean their own pools or take down their own Christmas lights. You see, Remus Lupin did not live in West Lake. He worked for a small company which contracted to the families that did live there. This company offered yard services to the wealthy home owners who couldn't be bothered with trivial matters, such as remembering their gardener's name or that he understood English just fine and it wasn't necessary to speak slowly or extremely loudly to him.

Remus pulled into the proper driveway, the one designated for employees, of number 12 Grimmauld Place early one Sunday morning in the beginning of January. He let out a heavy sigh as he cut off the engine to his small and worn Ford Ranger and opened the door to step out. This was the stop he had been dreading all week. He had been reassigned to the Black's attendant three weeks ago, after their last attendant had moved back to Texas. The Black's weren't a difficult family to please; they were no different than any other family he worked for. Remus just didn't like having to work for families who's children he went to school with.

Remus was smart. Actually, smart is an understatement. Remus was a genius, a certified, 162 IQ testing by the Mensa scale, genius. He lived in South Lake, the small, average town that lay a fifteen minute drive away from West Lake and its prestigious Milton Preparatory Academy.

Milton Prep was a top rated school. Graduating from there would almost guarantee that you got your choice of top colleges. The best education that mommy and daddy's money could buy. Most of the students that attended Milton Prep were the spoiled children of West Lake, who were there because of their wealthy parents or because they had their last name on a building at the school. However, a handful of students such as Remus, were attending on scholarships. The scholarship students were easy to spot. They were the students who didn't have the plastic covers on their books and were awake in every class. They were the students who made use of the library which bore the plaque reading: _Dedicated by Orion and Walburga Black._

That brings us back to where we left Remus, stepping out of his truck in the side driveway of the Black house. Today would be fairly easy for him; he was only there to remove the Christmas lights. It would be quick going, for the Blacks weren't the most festive people in the neighborhood. He smirked as he thought about who was going to get stuck doing the house next door. The Potters went all out on Christmas; it would take hours just to get all of the blow up reindeer off of their roof.

He slammed the door on his truck and bent over to check his reflection in the side view mirror. He quickly ran his fingers down his shaggy brown hair, making it as neat as possible, and frowned at the dark circles beginning to grace the under side of his light blue eyes. He moved to the back of his truck and lifted the ladder from the bed. His muscles, clearly defined from many years of physical labor, flexed under his sweater as he carried the ladder to the front of the house and propped it up.

Within the hour, he had rid the upper layers of the house from their string lights and was starting on the yard decorations. He lifted a donkey from the manger scene, but quickly put it back down. Even with the chill in the air, Remus was sweating heavily. He pulled off his sweater and tossed it into his truck, deciding to finish working in only his thin, white tee-shirt. He lifted the donkey again and headed towards the storage shed in the side yard, unaware that he was being watched by a pair of grey eyes inside the Black home.

Grey eyes covered by thin, rectangle, black framed glasses, spiky black hair, two perfectly straight rows of dazzling white teeth all set with smooth, soft features and finished off by an irresistible crooked smile. This was Regulus Black; the boy who had spent forty-five minutes in front of his bathroom mirror just to sit on his knees facing the back of the couch to stare out of a small slit in the curtain at Remus. He was so focused on Remus, in fact, that he didn't hear his older brother enter the room and sneak up behind him.

"What are you looking at?" Sirius asked, hovering inches behind his brother.

Regulus nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his brother's voice. He turned, one hand resting over his racing heart, to face Sirius.

At first glance, one would mistake the two for twins. They were often asked if they were. Sirius was two years older, though, and tried everything he could to make his appearance different from his brother's. The two ways he did so were drastic. First of all, Sirius did not wear glasses. Luckily, he didn't need them, because he wouldn't have worn them if he did. The other way the boys differed was their hair. While Regulus opted for short spikes, Sirius chose to wear his jet back hair down to his chin. It was slightly curly and always gave the appearance that he had just left the shower. Sirius was also taller than his brother, but the height difference was so miniscule that it often went unnoticed.

"I'm not staring at anything," Regulus lied as he climbed off the couch and headed towards the kitchen.

Sirius narrowed his eyes with skepticism and assumed the position that his brother had been in. He peered out of the window and made a loud scoffing sound as his eyes fell over Remus. He jumped off the couch and followed Regulus into the kitchen. "You little flamer. How long were you sitting there?" He reached out and grabbed the muffin that he knew Regulus was reaching for and took a huge bite with a smug smile on his face.

Regulus rolled his eyes and picked up a different muffin. He carefully peeled away the paper and sat down on a stool near the counter. "What does it matter? Oh, and don't call me that."

Sirius smiled as he crammed the rest of the muffin into his mouth. He was about to speak, but decided against it as one of the housekeepers rushed into the kitchen. He watched as she collected some cleaning supplies and rushed back out. He was fairly certain that she was one of the housekeepers that spoke a different language, but he wasn't going to risk it. He and Regulus had gotten into far too much trouble over the years by making assumptions on which employees they could speak in front of. "It matters because it's funny. Oh, and if you weren't gay, I wouldn't call you a flamer. Flamer." He stuck his tongue out at Regulus.

Regulus narrowed his eyes and picked a blueberry out of his muffin. "I'm not gay," he said, defiantly.

Sirius gave a loud, barking laugh. "No, you aren't gay. I know lots of straight guys who fog up the windows staring at the gardener." He shook his head and picked up another muffin.

"I'm meant that I'm not gay, I'm bi. Stop being such an asshole, Sirius." Regulus stood up and tried to walk out of the kitchen, but Sirius jumped in front of him.

"You'd better watch it or I'll tell mom that you're eying the help." Sirius raised his eyebrows and swayed his hips tauntingly.

Regulus rolled his eyes. "Like she'd even care. As long as I go to law school like she wants, she couldn't care less who I fuck when I'm there." He pushed past Sirius and ran towards the staircase.

"Hey!" Sirius cried out as he stared out of the door. "You'd better watch your mouth. Don't fucking talk that way."

Regulus stuck up his middle finger as he bolted up the stairs towards his room. Sirius flared his nostrils and charged after his brother, tackling him in the hallway just before he reached his room. He knocked him in the floor and was attempting to shove his head into the carpet, which would cause his hair primping brother to whine loudly, when their mother cleared her throat and snapped at them from down the hallway.

Sirius immediately jumped off of his brother and retreated to his room. Once inside, he picked up the remote and turned on his stereo, smiling as 'Basket Case' by Green Day blared out of the speakers. He dropped onto his bed and clambered to his knees to look out of the window. He pulled back the curtain and peered down at Remus as he carried away the last of the Nativity scene from the front yard. He shook his head and dropped onto his bed properly, sighing loudly.

Remus, who was unaware of the scuffle that was caused by his mere existence, stretched his back after loading the last piece of the Nativity scene into the Black's storage shed. He pulled the door closed as he dialed his supervisor on his cell. He reported that he was finished with the Black job and offered to pick up another task since he was finished early. After hanging up, he climbed back into his truck and headed to next assignment down the street.

* * *

It was a little after twelve when Remus pulled his truck onto Hog's Head Boulevard and watched his house come into view. He pulled into his driveway and hesitantly turned off the truck. He was halfway up the walkway to his house when he heard a voice.

"Remus! Hold up," a girl called out and Remus turned around.

Standing across the street, next to her mailbox, was a short girl with long, straight, red hair reaching to her lower back. She had sharp features and deep green eyes that sparkled when she smiled. She was plump but still very attractive, it suited her frame. She waved excitedly to Remus and he walked over to her, stowing his keys in his pocket as he moved.

"Hey, Lily," Remus said as he stepped up beside her.

Lily smiled brightly, revealing a mouthful of braces which actually seemed to make her more lovely. "Hey, you home for lunch?"

"Nope, all finished for the day."

"Have you eaten yet? Mom just made some chicken if you wanna come in." Lily motioned for him to follow her, not needing to wait for his answer.

Remus followed Lily into the house and greeted her mother with a smile. He nodded towards Lily's older sister who merely rolled her eyes at him and headed into the kitchen. He shook his head and turned back to Lily. "Where's your dad?" he asked, sitting down at the table.

"He got called in," Lily answered with a shrug. "Hey, did you finish your Economics project for Binns' class?"

This would be a good time to mention that Lily also attends Milton Prep. She isn't on a scholarship, she merely has connections. Her mother was born and raised in West Lake and grew up in one of those overly extravagant homes. When she was sixteen, she got pregnant by the man she later married. Even though they have been happily married for eighteen years, her parents never approved of the relationship and cut off support. Thus, the reason she now lives in the run down section of South Lake. However, when it came time for the girls to enter high school, they happily handed over the tuition for their granddaughters to receive the best education possible.

Remus smiled and nodded. He thanked Mrs. Evans as she sat a plate in front of him.

Lily smirked as she started eating. "I bet I get a better grade," she said, teasingly. She and Remus were in constant competition for the top two spots on the grade list. Lily knew that she didn't stand a chance, but she loved giving Remus hell about it.

Remus merely laughed quietly in response as he attended to his plate.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Hey, guys! Thanks for picking this story. I hope that you all decide to follow it. Be sure to stick it on your story alerts so that you know when the next chapter comes out. I wanna hear what you think, too, so go on and hit that little button. You know you wanna. :D -Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	2. Swing, Swing

**Chapter 2: Swing, Swing**

**.**

The loud, piercing sound of the school bell resonated off the cold stone walls of the classroom, causing the students to flinch. They all knew better than to move, in McGonagall's class, she dismissed you, not the bell. Any student who thought otherwise ended up with the entire class hating them due to the fact that she made everyone stay late for it. Mrs. McGonagall was the Calculus teacher and was not a woman to be pushed. She finished noting the assignment on the board and turned to the class.

"Alright, dismissed," she said, curtly.

Instantly, the room erupted with movement and sound as the students all moved to stow away their things and head out to lunch. Remus calmly copied down the assignment and took his time making his way to the door. He wasn't even going to bother with an attempt to fight the crowd. He gave a warm smile and a wave to Lily as he passed her in the hallway. Lily waved back quickly and turned her attention back to her boyfriend, James.

The two had been together for two and a half years. James had spotted Lily on the first day of Freshman year and immediately began his advances. Lily was won over within three days. Who wouldn't be? James Potter had everything. He was tall and well built with messy black hair, which he constantly kept running his hand through, making sure it stayed messy. Behind his frame-less oval glasses, he had the dreamiest hazel eyes that any girl could get lost in. Add in that he was the star of the basketball team and one of the wealthiest names at school and Lily couldn't resist falling for him.

James licked his lips and wrapped his arms around Lily's waist. He looked down into her eyes and gave her his most charming smile. "What are you waving at other guys for?" he asked, teasingly.

Lily gave a small laugh and put her hands on James' chest. "He isn't another guy, he's Remus. I've told you before that we've known each other since we were about six."

"Yeah, yeah, the guy's a loser, Lily. You need to stop letting your feet drag with people like him." James ignored the look of shock on Lily's face and pulled away from her. He grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the lunch room. He waved over at Sirius as he got in line for his tray.

Sirius waved back as he took a seat at their usual table, right in the middle of the lunch room. He poked at his pizza with a look of disgust on his face and rolled his eyes. "You would think that for the money our parents shell out to this place, they could get better food," he said mindlessly to the boy who was taking a seat across from him.

"I agree," the boy said, almost dutifully.

That was no surprise. This boy was Peter Pettigrew and he seemed to make it his mission in life to follow Sirius and James around, simply agreeing with whatever they said. He was a short boy who carried a good sixty pounds more than he should, with lifeless brown eyes and sandy brown hair styled in a poor, yet obvious, attempt at copying James'. He smiled over at Sirius and waited for him to speak again.

"You know what, Peter, I think that I'm gonna start a petition about this crap they call food." Sirius took a disappointed bite from his pizza and dropped it back on the tray. "James is on student council, he can help me."

"James can help you what?" James asked as he lowered himself onto his seat. He grabbed Lily's seat, before she could sit down, and pulled it as close to his as possible, grinning up at her.

"Help me get rid of this painted cardboard they call food," Sirius answered, laughing. His loud, barking laugh cut through the lunch room, drawing attention from all around.

Peter parroted the laugh and looked over at James with wide eyes. James looked at Peter with disdain and quickly covered it with a fake smile. He reached over and patted the boy on the back.

"Peter, run and get me a soda, will ya? Orange." James smiled sarcastically as the boy practically jumped out of his seat to get his drink. "Why do we keep that loser around? Remind me."

"If you ditch him, you'd have to get your own drinks," Sirius answered, dryly.

James laughed and nodded. "Oh yeah! You mean we." When he received a confused look from Sirius, he elaborated. "You mean that if _we_ ditch him then _we'd_ have to get our own drinks."

Sirius shook his head and leaned forward on the table. "No, I mean you," he said, pointing at James. He turned his head and snapped at the nearest girl to him. "Hey, Chelsea, come here."

Chelsea turned and moved over to Sirius, smiling brightly as she walked. "What do ya want, Black?" she asked, her voice full of flirtatious laughter.

Sirius leaned back in his chair and pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Get me a soda will ya, honey?" He licked his lips, making a slow show of it and winked up at her.

"Orange?" she asked, winking back. Receiving a small nod from Sirius, she turned and walked away, one of her friends trailing behind her.

Sirius turned back to James and raised his eyebrows in an 'I told you so' way. He held his hands out near his chest and smiled. James rolled his eyes and laughed.

"Aren't you dating Eliza?" Lily asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

Sirius made a small coughing sound which showed he found something amusing about her question. "Last week, I was dating Eliza. This week, I'm going to date Courtney."

"You mean Chelsea," Lily corrected.

"No," Sirius said and pointed across the lunch room at a leggy blonde. "I mean Courtney." He stood up and brushed off his pants before heading across the room and approaching Courtney.

"He's such a jerk," Lily muttered under her breath.

James slipped his arm around her and pressed his lips to her shoulder. He gave her slow and lingering kisses across her collarbone and up her neck. Lily giggled and pushed him away.

"James, stop," Lily whispered, her face flushing red.

James smiled at her blush and waggled his eyebrows. "Why don't we ditch the rest of the day and go to my house? No one's home. We'll have all the privacy we want." He moved to kiss her neck again.

Lily pushed him away again and sighed. "James, you know how I fe-"

"Yeah, I know," James interrupted with a tight grin. "No sex until we're married. I know. I was just kidding." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and turned to face the lunch room behind him. His eyes lit up as he saw Sirius' little brother on the path that would take him straight past the table.

Regulus was walking with a tray in one hand and a large packet of papers in the other. His eyes were seemingly glued to the papers. James cast a quick glance towards Lily, ensuring that she was not looking at him. He smirked when he saw that her eyes were locked on her tray. He discretely extended his foot into the walkway and felt his heart race pleasantly with anticipation of what was to come.

Some advantages come with being picked on by the same person for over ten years. After a few years, they start running out of ideas and become much too predictable. Regulus lifted his feet casually as he walked past James, preventing the expected fall, and smirked as he heard James scoff and turn back to the table. Regulus shook his head slowly as he slid his tray onto the table in front of him. He dropped into his seat and laid the packet of papers on the table.

"Is that the new script?" a girl asked as she dropped beside him and tried to peek over at the packet.

"Sure is," Regulus answered. "Just got it from Mr. Filch." He closed the packet to reveal the cover and held it up for the small group at his table to see. "Mona Lisa. It's about Da Vinci. I'm only halfway through the script so far, but it's brilliant."

Hands came from all around the table, trying to grab the script. Regulus clutched it to his chest and gave his friends a smug smile.

"Not even! You guys can get your copies at Drama club tomorrow like everyone else. This one's mine," Regulus said, his tone full of superiority. He turned towards the girl who had first addressed him and smiled. "Well, I might let Brittney see it." He winked at her.

Brittney rolled her eyes, but the light pink that formed on her cheeks gave her away. Regulus, however, did not notice her blush for his eyes had moved across the lunch room to the very back, corner table. Other students referred to this table as the 'Book Freak' table because it was always occupied by three girls and one guy who spent their entire lunch period mindlessly picking at their food with their noses buried into books. The guy at the table, Remus.

Regulus grazed his teeth over his bottom lip and stared over at Remus until a snapping sound caught his attention. He rounded back on the table and cast a glare to the boy making the offensive noise. "What, Evan? Geez!"

"I asked, what part are you going for?" Evan repeated, his eyes angry from being ignored.

"The lead, of course," Regulus answered, distantly as he straightened himself in his seat.

"Don't bother," Evan spat. "Freshman never get the lead. It's tradition."

"Yeah? Well I'm not big on traditional thinking," Regulus said with a quiet laugh, casting a glance back over his shoulder towards Remus.

"Clearly," Brittney said, bitterly. "Do you know the book freak?"

"I know him," Evan answered. "He cuts our grass and cleans our pool," he added in a derogatory tone.

Regulus narrowed his eyes at Evan and sneered. "Arrogant prick," he huffed.

Evan mock gasped and smirked. "No, Regulus, I won't sleep with you," he teased. He let out a quick laugh and pointed over at Remus. "Looks like he won't be, either."

Regulus made a confused face and turned to see a very pretty red head leaning over Remus, smiling brightly. He frowned slightly before realization hit him. "You dumb ass, that's Potter's girl. She isn't interested in him that way."

"Doesn't stop Potter," Brittney said with a giggle. "That boy will sleep with anyone who stands still long enough."

Regulus raised his eyebrows in confusion and laughed. "Really?"

"I mean any girl," Brittney answered, clearly annoyed with him.

"I knew what you meant," Regulus bit, offended by her assumption. "Like I would even, ugh! The last person I'd ever sleep with would be my jerk brother's best friend." He made a disgusted face and started laughing. "Actually," he amended, turning to Evan. "The _last _person I'd ever sleep with would be you. Potter is second to last."

The table burst into laughter at Evan's inability to think of a comeback.

Regulus took a bite of his pizza and frowned. He spat it back into his napkin and shook his head. "Damn, you would think that for the money our parents give this place, they could serve us something a step above cardboard." He pushed his tray away and cast another glance over at Remus.

Remus was listening to Lily go on about some ridiculous petition to get better school food and doing his best not to show how uninterested he was. He wanted nothing more than for her to walk away so that he could go back to his book. Instead, Lily pulled out a chair and sat down, earning her a glare from the three girls who were trying to focus on their reading. Luckily, James came over at that moment to retrieve her before people 'got the wrong idea' as he put it.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Thanks for reading. I would love to know what everyone thinks of the chapter. :D -Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums. **


	3. Gives You Hell

**Chapter 3: Gives You Hell**

**.**

Sirius groaned loudly as the sound of pounding on his bedroom door woke him. He winced and pulled his pillow over his face as the sunlight pouring through his parted curtain hit his eyes. The pounding on his door grew louder and he could hear his door knob being tried repeatedly, as though it would suddenly become unlocked just by continuously turning it. He pulled the pillow over his face tighter, trying to cover his ears as well. He rolled over onto his side and pulled his knees to his chest, letting out another pain-filled groan.

"Sirius Orion Black, you open this damn door, right now!" Walburga Black, Sirius' mother, screamed through his door then resumed pounding on it. "I'll break it down if you don't!"

Sirius whimpered and slid off of his bed onto the floor. He crawled across the floor on his hands and knees and lifted his hand to the knob. He flicked the lock as he used it for a brace to pull himself to his feet. He pulled the door open and pushed past his fuming mother into the hallway.

"There, door is open," Sirius mumbled as he trudged towards the stairs.

He was halfway down the steps before his mother pulled herself out of shock to follow him. She raced down the steps to walk beside him.

"Sirius, you need to explain this," she hissed as she shoved a sheet of paper into Sirius' hands.

Sirius dropped the paper and put his hands over his ears to block her voice. "Don't scream, my head is killing me," he whispered with a groan as he hit the bottom of the steps and quickened his pace towards the kitchen.

"Your head is your own fault, so don't you even complain to me," his mother spat as she slammed the paper onto the kitchen counter. She thrust her finger down onto it and glared over at her son. "I said explain this!"

"That...is a piece of paper," Sirius said quietly, rolling his eyes as he pulled a mug from the cabinet and reached for the coffee pot. "I hear that it's made from trees."

Walburga was red from anger and Sirius was quite sure there was smoke pouring from her flared nostrils. Although, it could have merely been the steam from the coffee he was lifting to his lips. Walburga picked up the paper and moved to stand in front of her son. She held it in front of his face and he squinted at it, comically.

"This," Walburga hissed, "is the report for your grades last term. How can you be failing _three_ classes?" She narrowed her eyes and slammed the paper back down on the counter, causing Sirius to grimace from the pain of the loud sound.

"It's a lot easier than passing them," Sirius muttered into his coffee, a smirk on his face.

A sudden hard and well placed slap to the back of the head caused Sirius to sputter into his drink and dribble it onto his shirt. He winced in pain and wiped the back of his hand across his chin to rid it of the coffee. He dragged his hand through his knotted hair and made a confused face as he reached a rather stick spot in it. He frowned, afraid to think about what it could be and dropped his hand. He started to head out of the kitchen, but a firm hand on his shoulder spun him around to face his mother.

"Sirius, this is unacceptable. This is important, do not roll your eyes at me. You have got to pull these grades up. That isn't a suggestion, young man, it is an order."

Sirius sighed heavily and shook his head. "You can't order me to be smarter."

"I just did. Either you pull up those grades by March or I'm going to do something drastic." Walburga's angry hisses and screams had faded into a low, threatening tone dripping with disappointment.

Sirius rubbed at his eyes and drained his mug. He sat it down on the counter and turned out of the kitchen; however his mother grabbed his arm and stepped in front of him.

"You think I'm kidding? If these grades aren't up in time, you're off the basketball team. If that isn't enough to convince you, that pretty car that you like so damn much...gone!" Walburga set her jaw and frowned. "And...you will not be allowed anywhere near that Potter kid. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes!" Sirius called out, angrily as he wrenched his arm from his mother's hand. "I'll get 'em up." This time, he spoke softly, having hurt his own head with the yell.

Sirius bolted up the stairs towards his room, desperately wanting a shower due to the recent discovery of an unknown substance in his hair. A frown crossed his face as he spotted his brother leaning in the doorway, blocking his entrance to his room. He shoved Regulus into the room, not wanting to waste time trying to coax him away. Regulus, having not been prepared for a physical confrontation, fell into the floor.

"Hey! What the hell, Sirius? I just wanted to ask you something," Regulus said, climbing to his feet.

Sirius ignored his brother's complaints and crossed the room to his dresser. He started digging through his drawer and pulled free a pair of boxers and socks. He gave Regulus a pained look as he moved over to his large, walk-in closet. "What?" he muttered as he selected a pair of worn out jeans and a vintage Beatles tee-shirt.

"What's wrong with you? You look like shit," Regulus asked, straightening out the covers on Sirius' bed and sitting on the edge of it. "Oh, and that isn't what I wanted to ask, I'm just curious."

"Hangover," Sirius whispered as he stepped into his bathroom and picked up his toothbrush. He ran water over it and started to squeeze out some toothpaste.

"Aren't you supposed to get wasted on your twenty-first birthday, not your seventeenth? Of course, you get wasted just because it's Saturday, anyways." Regulus moved to stand in the bathroom doorway.

"I don't get wasted _every _weekend," Sirius mumbled, his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. "I just over did it last night celebrating." He spat into the sink and put his hand on the door. "What did you want?"

"Oh...um, so I know that you like those bands that are...punky, um...Green something or other." Regulus twisted his hands, nervously, in front of him."I was just wondering if I could pull some from your laptop, so that I know what to get."

Sirius gave his brother a confused look. "Why do you want my Green _Day_? Don't you listen to show tunes?" He flailed his hands up beside his head and waggled his fingers, giving Regulus an overly exaggerated smile.

Regulus shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "I do not listen to show tunes, jerk. I just want to check it out. There's this guy and h-" The bathroom door slammed on Regulus, cutting off his words. "You're such a jerk, Sirius," he shouted at the door and stomped out of the room.

* * *

"Are you staring at the fucking gardener _again_?" Sirius asked, his voice light and full of laughter.

After a long shower and two aspirin, Sirius was refreshed and ready to resume his normal activities. In this case, that meant insulting his brother who was once again kneeling on the couch, staring out of the window. He knelt next to Regulus and stared out of the window as well.

Remus, having no idea he was being watched, was on his knees in front of the flower bed that lined the front of the Black's house, ridding it of weeds and the flowers that had died with the Winter frost. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, threatening his eyes, forcing him to keep dragging his gloved hand across his face. Specks of dirt were covering his clothes, skin and even rested in the strands of his shaggy hair.

"I can't help it, he's so- Hey! Get away from me." Regulus shoved on his brother's shoulder, trying to push him off of the couch.

"Don't be like that, you little flamer. You can have the damn music. Is it him?" Sirius asked, pointing towards the window.

"Is what him?" Regulus made a confused face.

"The guy that likes Green Day. Is it him?"

"Oh, yeah it is. I overheard him mention it at school the other day." Regulus smiled and turned his attention back out the window. He watched Remus work for a minute before slowly turning his attention back to Sirius, a look of pure shock on his face. "Why are you being nice?"

Sirius gave his brother an innocent smile and shrugged. "Can't I just be nice to my brother without the suspicion?" The look he received from Regulus screamed 'no' and he let out a sigh. "Fine. I need your help. If I don't get my grades up, I'm screwed."

Regulus smiled and nodded. "I knew it. I wish I could help, well, not really, but I can't help you. I might be smart, but I can't help teach you something that I haven't learned yet. Plus, I don't really have time."

Sirius frowned and folded his arms over his chest. "Fuck," he breathed out, turning to sit properly on the couch.

"Just get a tutor," Regulus said, distantly, peering back out of the window. "You could ask him, Remus, he's like some sort of genius. Offer to pay him."

Sirius' eyes lit up and he sprang off of the couch. "Great idea," he said, reaching over and mussing Regulus' hair.

Regulus swatted away Sirius' hand and scowled at him. "Damn it, you jerk, now I have to fix it. I was about to go out there and talk to him, now I can't."

Sirius laughed and shoved Regulus, who was trying to get off of the couch, back down onto it. "Stop your whining, Nancy. You'll get your chance. If he agrees, he'll be around more. _In_ the house." He headed towards the front door, a spring in his step.

"I know, that's why I suggested it," Regulus said to himself with a smirk as he headed upstairs to fix his hair.

Sirius stepped up behind Remus and cleared his throat. Receiving no response, he tried again, louder this time. He breathed sharply out of his nose and threw his hands into the air out of frustration as his third attempt to get Remus' attention failed. He squatted down beside the boy and tapped him on the shoulder. Remus jumped spastically as Sirius touched his shoulder and fell back onto the ground. He looked up at Sirius with a bit of anger on his face and reached up to pull out his ear-buds, letting them lie across his shoulders.

Sirius smirked at realizing why Remus hadn't heard him and rose to his feet. He held his hand out to help Remus up, but the boy climbed to his feet without assistance. He held his hands up, showing Sirius his mud covered gloves.

"Didn't wanna get you dirty," Remus said, politely, dragging the back of his hand across his forehead, leaving a small trail of dirt as he did so. He rested his weight on his back foot and squinted towards Sirius, who had his back to the sun. "Can I help you? Did you need something?"

Sirius nodded. "I hope you can help me. I hear that you're pretty smart."

"Do you?" Remus asked, distantly.

"Yeah, my brother says that you're some sort of genius."

"Does he?"

"Yeah, so the thing is...I'm not. I mean that I'm not smart, at all. I'm failing some classes and my mom says that...well it doesn't matter, the point is, I have to get my grades up."

"Do you?"

"Yeah. I have money, well, clearly. I can pay you."

"Can you?"

"Yeah. Damn it, stop doing that. Stop responding with little two word questions like that." Sirius shifted his weight between his feet and looked at Remus with pleading eyes. "So, what's your answer?"

Remus shook his head and dropped back to his knees in front of the flower bed. "I don't cheat."

"Neither do I!" Sirius cried out, offended by his answer. He dropped down next to Remus and shoved on his shoulder to make him face him. "I'm not asking you to cheat. I'm asking you to tutor me."

"Oh," Remus said, taken aback. "Um...okay, I guess we can work something out."

"Great. We can work here or I can come to your house if you want." Sirius gave him a big smile.

"No!" Remus cried out and swallowed hard. He gave Sirius a sheepish smile and turned his face away. "I mean no to my house. We can't work there. I don't want you anywhere near my house."

"Okay," Sirius said, tentatively. "We can work here. Are you good at Chemistry? That's my worst."

"I'm good at everything," Remus answered with a smirk and shot Sirius a quick wink.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Thank you for reading. Don't be afraid to leave some thoughts. :D -Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	4. 11:11 PM

**Chapter 4: 11:11 PM**

**.**

Numerous open books, wadded up sheets of used notebook paper and empty Orange soda cans were scattered over the large table in the Black family's study. All of this was a result of the third tutoring session between Sirius and Remus.

Sirius let out an annoyed growl and flung himself forward on the table, hiding his face in his arms. His hand shot out and flung his Chemistry book away from him. "This is so damn useless. I'm never gonna understand this crap," he called out, his words muffled by his arms.

"It isn't useless, Sirius." Remus reached over and slid the book back in front of him. "You're just stressed out is all. You're so focused on your past failures that you're causing a mental block." He pulled Sirius' arms away from his head and tried to make him sit up.

"How's the tutoring coming along?" Regulus asked as he stepped into the room, holding a tray.

Sirius sat up and glared at his brother. "What the fuck do you want?" he asked.

"Language, brother. That's no way to talk in front of company," Regulus said, smiling down at Remus. He sat the tray onto the table, revealing it to hold several small bowls of pretzels, popcorn and chips. "I just wanted to bring you two a snack. Can't think on an empty stomach." He leaned on the table and looked down at Remus. "As someone who makes top grades in all of his classes, I know this."

"All of his Freshman classes," Sirius said, bitterly. He reached out and snagged the bowl of pretzels then slunk down in his chair. He shoved several into his mouth and glared at his brother, disgusted by the way he was smiling at Remus.

"Yes, the same Freshman classes that you almost failed," Regulus said casually, not taking his eyes off of Remus.

"Fuck you, you little prick," Sirius spat, leaning forward and dropping the bowl angrily onto the table, causing it to tip over and spill onto Remus' book.

Remus reached out, his eyes wide with horror, to clean off the pages. His hands reached the book at the same time as Regulus', brushing against it.

"Here, let me," Regulus said, quietly as he brushed away the offensive material from the pages. He looked back to Remus after finishing and ran his tongue over the front of his teeth, a habit he picked up after getting his braces off. His lips pulled into a half smile. "There, no harm done." He licked his lips slowly and smiled again.

Sirius, having recognized his own showy move, had finally had enough. He jumped from his chair, charged around the table, grabbed his brother roughly by the arm and pulled him out of the room. He gave him a deadly glare before pulling the doors closed and latching them. He did his best to take deep, calming breaths as he headed back to his chair.

As Sirius sat down, Remus gave him a confused look and pointed towards the door. "Are you okay? You kinda freaked out there."

"It's fine," Sirius growled. "I'm really sorry about my little brother. The stupid fuck has got a crush on you."

"He does?" Remus asked, his eyes darting from the door to the tray then back to Sirius.

"Yeah. I keep telling him to knock it off. He has it in his idiot head that you're gay." Sirius shook his head in disbelief and lifted a can to his lips.

"I am gay," Remus said, raising his eyebrows at Sirius.

Sirius coughed into his soda and wiped the pain induced tears from his eye. He analyzed Remus' face, not sure if the boy was joking or not. Seeing no trace of amusement, he accepted the confession as real. "You don't...seem gay. You shoulda warned me."

Remus narrowed his eyes and bit down on the end of his tongue. "So sorry. Next time, I'll remember to wear my rainbow tee-shirt and 'I'm a queer' beenie." He made an annoyed sigh and closed his book.

"Wait! You're leaving?" Sirius stood up and watched in horror as Remus pushed his things into his bag. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

"It's fine. I'm plenty used to that reaction...or worse." Remus slung his bag up over his shoulder and looked at Sirius, not a single trace of anger in his face. "I have another job. I have to leave or I'll be late." He turned and headed out of the study, leaving Sirius dumbstruck.

* * *

Regulus was leaning back against the kitchen counter, waiting for one of the housekeepers to pull fresh cookies off of a pan so that he could snag one. He had his phone in front of his face, frantically tapping at the slide out keyboard, a pleased smile glued to his face. Sirius stepped up in front of his brother and snatched the phone out of his hand then tossed it onto the counter behind him. Regulus let out an aggravated whine and reached for his phone, but Sirius caught his hand, pinning it to the counter by his wrist.

"Look, you were right about him. Remus is gay." Sirius sighed.

"I know," Regulus said, dryly.

"Just because he's gay, doesn't mean that he wants you," Sirius snarled. "Just...just stay away from him. He isn't interested in you. The guy is actually really cool and I want to be friends with him. I can't do that if you're drooling on him all the time."

"What makes you think that he isn't interested?" Regulus asked, his voice betraying no emotion. He pulled his hand free, picked up his phone and shoved it in his pocket.

Behind the boys, the housekeeper quietly pulled the cookies off of the pan and placed them on a plate. She slid the plate onto the counter and rushed from the room. The employees in the Black household knew better than to be in the same room with the boys when they were using those tones of voice.

"I know he isn't. He has no reason to be. He is a book guy who has great taste in music and knows way more dirty jokes than _any _guy our age should. You are a little theatre freak-o with the compulsive urge to do anything that mom tells you to. You have _nothing_ in common." Sirius raised his eyebrows, daring Regulus to argue.

"We do have something in common." Regulus reached behind him and picked up a cookie from the plate. "It seems that he's got a big thing for werewolf movies."

"Yeah, so? You hate scary movies. How is that something in common?"

Regulus smirked and ran his tongue over his bottom lip. "Well, what we have in common is... we will _both_ be in the back row of Harkin's Theatre on Saturday night watching the newest wolfy release." He took a bite from his cookie and bolted out of the kitchen, knowing that if he waited for Sirius to absorb his words, he might not make it out of the kitchen without injury.

Sirius growled angrily after his brother, not feeling in the mood to make chase. He leaned onto the counter and picked up a cookie. He looked up as one of the housekeepers came in and bit into his cookie. "Hey," he called out to the young woman, who turned to face him. "Do you think it's possible to be friends with someone your brother's dating?"

The woman widened her eyes at Sirius and gave him a nervous smile. "Que?" she squeaked out.

Sirius exhaled sharply and dropped the cookie onto the counter. "Never mind," he muttered as he walked out of the kitchen. He was even more annoyed now, for he knew very well that she was one of the housekeepers who spoke English.

* * *

Remus pulled his truck to a stop in front if the Black's house, slightly uncomfortable with parking in the front drive rather than the side one. He pulled off his seat belt and inhaled sharply as a breeze blew past him through the open window. He turned to face Regulus, who had already shed his seat belt and scooted closer to him. He smiled down at him and unwittingly licked his lips, bringing a smile to Regulus' lips.

"You could have said that you weren't a fan of scary movies," Remus whispered. "We could have seen something else."

Regulus laughed quietly and shook his head. "It was fine. I'm...fine. Trust me, it wasn't that bad. Besides, I was watching you more than the movie." He winked and reached out, taking Remus' hand into his own.

"More like watching my shoulder," Remus said with a grin. "No more scary ones, promise."

Regulus laughed again and bit his bottom lip, anxiously. "Oh, come on. If you don't make me go to the scary stuff, I won't have an excuse to do this." He scooted over against Remus and pressed against his shoulder, looking up at him with a half smile.

"You're doing it now," Remus whispered. He reached up and brushed his thumb over Regulus' jaw line and leaned forward.

Their lips were so close that they could feel the heat off of each other's, but they didn't touch. They were interrupted by a large figure that crashed into the side of Remus' truck, causing them to both jump back. A loud, barking laugh came from the ground right outside of Remus' door. Regulus groaned loudly, knowing the sound, and leaned back into the seat. Remus looked down out of his window at the writhing figure that was Sirius. Sirius pulled himself to his feet and hooked his arm over the window of the truck, holding himself up. James stumbled up behind him and leaned against the hood.

"Hey! It's Lupo," James slurred out and began a manic laugh.

Sirius ignored his friend and stuck his arm out, pointing at Regulus. "You... are b-busted," he said, the scent of beer filling the truck as he spoke. "Your curfew is eleven o'clock. Right now, it is exactatcly..." he brought his wrist to his face and squinted at his watch, "eleven eleven."

"Oh shit!" Regulus cried out and scrambled to get out of the truck.

"Wait," Remus said, grabbing his hand. He leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against Regulus', lingering for a moment, before pulling away with a smile. "Good night."

"Good night," Regulus whispered as he climbed out of the truck.

Regulus ran towards the house, sighing as he noticed James start to follow him. James ran after him, a mischievous grin on his face. Remus leaned back in his seat and looked over at Sirius, who was glaring daggers at him.

"I didn't see to need that," Sirius slurred out.

Remus smirked and shook his head. "How drunk are you?" he asked.

Sirius perked up slightly and leaned forward. "D-drunk enough to tell you that you," he put his index finger on Remus' chest and stared up at him, "have got really...really prettyful eyes." He let his hand drop against the door and smiled drunkenly.

"Do I?" Remus asked, trying not to laugh.

"Oh yeah!" Sirius said rather loudly. He choked on a laugh and put his finger to his lips, making a shushing sound. "They are so...shiny. Oh, and blue, I like blue. It's my favorite color." He nodded and smiled and leaned closer. "Wanna know a secret?"

"Sure," Remus answered, still managing to hold back his laughter.

"Two weeks ago," he held up two fingers and smiled at them, "my favorite color was...red." He gasped and clapped his hand over his mouth.

Remus looked over at Sirius with a confused expression and shook his head.

"Hey!" Sirius tried to stand up properly and pointed his finger at Remus' face. "Don't-don't-don't...don't look at me like that. I saaaaaid, I'm druuuuunk!"

"Okay, sorry." Remus held his hands up in surrender.

"Wanna know another secret?" Sirius whispered, leaning back into the open window.

"I don't think I do. Your secrets should probably stay that way," Remus answered.

"Shush! Of course, you do." Sirius curled his index finger at Remus, wanting him to come closer. "Come here, I wanna whisper it." He moved closer to Remus' ear as he leaned towards him. He put his lips right against his ear. "Your eyes are pretty when I'm not drunk, too." he whispered.

Remus closed his eyes and laughed quietly at Sirius' drunken confession. His face suddenly became very un-amused as he felt Sirius' tongue move across his neck. "What the hell?" he cried out, slapping his hand over his neck and moving away from the door. He looked over at Sirius with shock.

Sirius' face looked broken, confused and a bit hurt. He closed his eyes and shook his head, frantically. "I'm so-" He never finished his apology, for he was suddenly tackled to the ground by a laughing James.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Thank you for reading. I'd love to know what you think of the chapter and what your predictions are for these characters. A thank you for all of those anonymous reviews out there. :D -Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	5. My Paper Heart

**Chapter 5: My Paper Heart**

**.**

Remus was staring down at Regulus' stereo with wide eyes, his hands shoved in his pockets, doing his best not to make any cruel comments about what was playing. He reached up with one hand and rubbed it over his mouth, resisting the urge to reach out and hit the big red power button. Regulus stepped up behind him and slipped one arm around his waist then reached out and turned the volume down.

Remus turned around and put his arms around Regulus' waist. "That's...interesting. Who did you say it was?" he asked, forcing a smile.

"You're such a fake," Regulus said with a laugh. He pushed away from Remus and shook his head. "It's The Veronicas and they're great. You don't have to pretend to like my music. I don't care about that." He scanned through his play-lists and settled on Paramore, hoping it would suffice.

Remus smirked and sat down on Regulus' bed. He scooted to the middle and stared up at him. "Sorry, it just isn't my taste."

Regulus smiled and climbed onto the bed. He sat on his knees in front of Remus. "As long as I'm your taste, that's all that matters." He licked his lips slowly and looked down at Remus with a half smile.

Remus smiled and leaned towards Regulus. He slipped his hand behind his neck and pulled him down until their lips were almost touching. "You're very much my taste," he whispered as he sat up and closed the gap between their lips.

Regulus wrapped his arms around Remus' neck and pushed his lips against his, hungrily. He scooted forward slightly and smiled into the kiss when he felt Remus' hand wrap around his leg. Remus pulled him towards him and drug his leg over his lap, making Regulus straddle him. He pushed against his body and wrapped his arms around his back, locking his hands.

Regulus pressed against Remus, forcing him to lie flat on the bed. He squeezed Remus' hips between his knees and moaned softly as he moved his lips more fiercely against his. He trailed his hand over Remus' shoulder, down his arm and brushed under his shirt across his stomach. He moved his fingers over the button of Remus' jeans and popped it open.

Remus unlocked his hands from around Regulus' waist and pushed them against his chest, shoving the boy on the bed next to him. He reached down and quickly re-buttoned his pants, then sat up. "Okay, too far," he said, quickly, shaking his head. "Maybe we should stick with sitting in an up-right position." He looked back over at Regulus, his eyes wide with shock.

Regulus shifted to sit on his knees and scooted over in front of Remus. "I don't understand. You said that you wanted to stay in for Valentine's Day. I thought you wanted to have sex." He gave him a bewildered look.

Remus' jaw dropped and he let out a nervous laugh. "I said stay in. As in stay inside, listen to music, order pizza, even make out a little. None of that means have sex. What would make you think that was what I meant?"

Regulus licked his lips and smiled. "Well, it's just been my experience that when someone says they want to stay in, it means they wanna have sex. You don't...want to have sex with me?"

"No! I mean...yes." Remus let out a frustrated sigh and ran his fingers down his hair. "What I mean is, I do want to have sex with you, just not...now." He exhaled sharply and turned to face Regulus fully. He wrapped his arms around his waist and gave him a caring smile. "It's only been two weeks. That's way too soon to have sex."

Regulus frowned and bit his bottom lip. "Okay. You think it's too soon. I can respect that despite the fact that I don't agree. I happen to think that if two people _want_ to have sex, then it shouldn't matter how long they've been together, or even if they are together." He shrugged slightly and rested his chin on Remus' shoulder, bringing his lips to his ear. "Don't even say that you don't want to, either. Your body's already betrayed you there." He smiled and pressed his lips to Remus' neck while closing his eyes.

Remus reached up and placed his hand on Regulus' cheek. "I never said that I didn't want to, simply that I won't." He rubbed his face against his and pressed their lips together.

Regulus pulled away and gave a small pout. "No chance?"

Remus shook his head.

"Not even for Valentine's Day?"

Remus laughed and shoved Regulus against the bed. "I hate Valentine's Day! Now shut up and just make out with me." He grinned as he moved to lay beside him and covered Regulus' mouth with his own.

* * *

James pulled his car to a stop on the North side of the lake and turned off the engine. He pulled off his seat belt and turned to face Lily, a huge smile on his face.

"James, I thought we were going to a movie," Lily said, looking out at the lake with confusion.

James laughed and shook his head. "No, that's just what I told your mom. I wanna do something more special than a movie." He leaned towards Lily but was blocked by a hand in his face.

"I'm not having sex," Lily said, bluntly.

James leaned back over to his own seat and put his hand on his face. He let his eyes wander out of the window and shook his head. "I thought you were in love with me, Lily. I don't get you."

Lily made a scoffing sound and crossed her arms over her chest. "James, I am in love with you. Being in love doesn't mean having sex. I already told you that I'm waiting until I'm married. Now...take me on a proper Valentine's Day date, or take me home."

James tightened his face into a scowl and leaned forward to turn on the car. "Fine. Movie."

* * *

Sirius pulled open the passenger door to his car and held his hand out for the girl sitting in the seat. She took his hand and climbed out of the car with a smile. Sirius closed the door behind her and pulled her towards her house.

"I had fun, Jeanette. Thanks for going out with me tonight," Sirius said in a rather rehearsed sounding tone.

Sirius gave her a tight smile and leaned forward. He was aiming to kiss her on the cheek, but at the last moment, Jeanette turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. He rested his hands on her hips and pressed into the kiss, excitedly. When she pulled away, Sirius gave her another smile.

"My parents went to one of those fancy hotels for Valentine's Day," Jeanette said, casually.

Sirius gave a confused nod and pushed his hands into his pockets. "That sounds...nice, I guess."

Jeanette let out a bell-like laugh and shook her head. "I'm trying to tell you that they aren't home, silly. Come in," she said, laughing again. She unlocked the door and grabbed Sirius' arm, pulling him into her house.

"Oh, well...I don't-I mean do you think I should?" Sirius asked, nervously as Jeanette locked the door behind them.

"Don't be nervous," she whispered. She ran her finger down Sirius' chest and gave him a sexy smile. She turned away from him and walked further into the house. She moved just right, every step causing her too short, pink dress to sway over her hips and her long, blonde curls to ounce playfully. "Follow me."

Sirius stood and watched her walk away, his head tilted to the side, his hand over his mouth. He sprang to attention at her words and followed her into the living room. Jeanette flicked on a small lamp, casting a soft glow over the room. She lowered herself onto the couch and looked back up at Sirius with a lustful smile on her face. She reached over and patted the couch next to her and Sirius dropped into the spot, dutifully. She wrapped her arms around his neck and scooted closer.

Sirius slipped his arm around her waist and lowered his lips onto hers. What started as slow and gentle kissing, took mere minutes to become fierce and fiery. Jeanette pressed her body against Sirius' and shifted to face him fully. She moved one of her legs over his lap and pulled out of the kiss.

"I wanna be on top," Jeanette whispered.

"You wanna be on top," Sirius parroted, not really focusing on her words. "On top of what?"

Jeanette giggled quietly and ran her fingers through his hair. "I wanna be on top," she repeated, trying to convey her meaning through her eyes. When Sirius continued to give her a blank stare, she sighed. "On top! On top of you...for sex!"

"For sex," Sirius whispered. "We-we're not...not having sex." He pushed her back onto the couch and scooted away. He swallowed hard and looked over at her. "This is just our first date."

Jeanette crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "Molly said that you had sex with her and you only went on one date."

"I didn't have se- Molly! Yeah...um, right, Molly. One date. Yeah, we had sex." Sirius dragged his fingers nervously through his hair.

"Stacy too. You only went on one date with her and she said that you had sex, twice." Jeanette gave him an angry look and leaned back against the arm of the couch.

"Stacy...and Molly were, um...well they were...look, the thing is, I don't feel well." Sirius put his hand to his stomach and made a pained face. "I think that I ate something bad and I didn't wanna tell you because it's embarrassing."

Jeanette eyed him wearily and frowned. "We ate the same thing. Look, Sirius, if you don't wanna have sex with me, fine." She turned her face away from him and covered with her hand.

Sirius let out a low sigh and scooted closer to her. He slid his arm around her shoulders and pressed his lips to the side of her head. "Truth is, those girls didn't mean anything to me. It's different with you. I want you to be my girlfriend, so I don't feel the need to rush things."

Jeanette wiped the tears out of her eyes and let out an excited squeal. She threw her arms around Sirius and hugged herself to him. "I wanna be your girlfriend too!"

"Great!" Sirius buried his face into her neck to hide his frown. "Oh," he whispered, "if anyone tries to give you hell, you can tell them we had sex if you want to."

* * *

Sirius was reaching for the knob on his front door when it suddenly opened. Startled, he stepped back too far, crushing his foot into the flower bed off the side of the porch.

"I guess I know what I'll be doing first thing in the morning," Remus said with a laugh as he pulled the door closed behind him.

"Sorry about that," Sirius muttered. "You're here kinda late, aren't you? I know it's Val-"

"Please, don't say that word. That blasted day was over twenty minutes ago and I'd like to go without hearing it again." Remus slipped on his jacket and sighed.

"Ah, come on, Remus. You aren't a fan of the holiday of love?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

Remus shook his head and made a disgusted face. "That's a joke. It isn't real. It's just something created by jewelers and candy companies."

"Valentine's Day was started because of Saint Val-" Sirius started but Remus held up a hand to silence him.

"I mean love, not the stupid holiday," Remus said dryly.

Sirius raised one eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? You don't believe in _love_?"

"Of course, I'm kidding," Remus said with a forced laugh.

Sirius started to speak, but he was interrupted by his phone. He pulled it out and looked at the screen. "It's James. I'll see you in the morning," he said, giving Remus a smile. He pressed the green button and lifted his phone to his ear. "What's up man?" He gave Remus a wave as he turned towards his truck.

_"I saw you pull in. Late. You must've had fun."_

"You sound bitter, Jamesey. I take it your plan didn't work out so well." Sirius laughed and walked inside the house.

_"Fuck, no it didn't. We saw a movie, got a milkshake and had our four second good night kiss. I was home by ten."_

"Bummer for you. Jeanette was all over me by the time I got her home." Sirius dropped onto his knees on the couch in front of the window and pushed the curtain aside. He watched as Remus climbed into his truck and started it.

_"So, she was good then?"_

"So good that I asked her to be my girlfriend," Sirius answered with fake enthusiasm.

"Sounds like we both had a good night," Regulus said, dropping onto the couch beside his brother.

_"Tell me about it."_

"Hey, James. I'll call you back later. My brother needs his ass kicked right now." Sirius hung up the phone and glared over at Regulus.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Ah, Valentine's Day rejection all around. :D -Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	6. Eyelash Wishes

**Chapter 6: Eyelash Wishes**

**.**

The hallways were filling quickly with students as it neared time for first period. James was standing next to his locker, having a rather intense chat with a short brunette, who was gradually moving closer with each sentence. Remus wasn't paying any attention to who was standing there when he stepped up and leaned against Sirius' locker, the one right next to James'.

"What do you want, Lupo?" James asked, clearly annoyed. He nodded for the girl to take off and crossed his arms, glaring at Remus.

Remus raised his eyebrows at James and turned away from him.

"Hey, I asked you a question," James said, reaching over and shoving on Remus' shoulder.

"No, you didn't," Remus snarled as he swatted James' hand away. "My name's Lupin, I've told you that at least ten times. It isn't any of your business what I'm doing here, I'm waiting for Sirius, not you." Remus gave James a look of contempt and leaned back again.

James frowned and stood up straight, trying to equal himself to Remus. "Can't you just text him? You might not realize this, but just because he lets you in his house, doesn't mean he wants to be seen in public with you."

Remus was about to respond but closed his mouth as Sirius walked up, his arm around a tall, black haired, over fake-tanned girl.

Sirius nodded towards James and smiled at Remus. "Guys, this is Tammy." He pointed to the girl under his arm.

"Tanya," the girl said, frowning.

"Guys, this is Tanya," Sirius corrected as though he hadn't slipped up to begin with.

Remus gave Tanya a weak smile and started to walk away. Sirius put his arms out to block his way.

"Where are you going? Weren't you waiting for me?" Sirius asked with a smile.

"Yeah, but it isn't important." Remus took a deep breath and shook his head. "I'll just text you," he added with a sneer, glaring over at James.

"Later, Lupo!" James gave a sarcastic smile and wave.

Remus pushed past Sirius and headed down the hallway.

"Remus, wait," Sirius called out as he started after him.

"Sirius!" James yelled, making him stop and turn back with a confused face. "Dude, do not chase down your gardener at school. People are going to start talking. It's bad enough that your brother is -"

"Shut up, James. Remus is a cool guy. Where are you going?" Sirius directed the last bit at Tanya, who was walking away.

"Why don't you ask Tammy," she answered, not looking back.

"Tan... eh, whatever." Sirius gave an uncaring wave of the hand at Tanya's retreating form and turned back to James. "Look, don't talk about Remus like that. He's a cool guy and I like hanging out with him. You would too if you gave him half a chance."

James laughed and shook his head. "Hanging out? You don't hang out with him, man. The only time you are with him is when you are paying him. Either that, or when he's with your brother. He isn't _your _friend."

Sirius frowned and opened his locker. "Yes he is," he said, though his voice was less than convinced. "I'll prove it." He gave James a nod as he pulled out a book and slammed his locker closed. He got a smug smile on his face as he headed down the hallway after Remus.

Remus was standing at his open locker, looking down at his phone, when Sirius walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder. Remus spun around quickly and shoved his phone into his pocket, his face looking rather nervous. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Sirius and laughed at himself for freaking out.

"It's just you," he said with a smile. "I thought you were your brother." He pulled his phone back out, tapped on the keypad and shoved it back into his pocket.

"Why the spaz? You aren't...look, I might not like my brother, but if you're doing something...wrong..." Sirius trailed off. He narrowed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest.

"Lily. I was sending a text to Lily. Regulus keeps giving me hell about staying out of her and James' business. I'm not doing anything _wrong_." Remus smiled and turned to his locker. "I wanted to tell you that I can't make it tonight. Arthur called in sick and I really need the extra shift. I can come tomorrow if you want." He turned back to Sirius and closed his locker.

Sirius was momentarily confused, but soon realized that Remus was referring to their tutoring session. "Yeah, that's fine. I actually wanted to ask you something. James is having a party, not this Saturday, but the next. It'll be a bunch of people running around getting drunk and passing out with people they barely know. Wanna come?"

Remus smiled and leaned against the locker. "Sounds like a riot, but I doubt James wants me at his house."

Sirius scoffed and shook his head. "Don't worry about James, he's an ass to everyone. Say you'll come."

"I'll come. It sounds fun." Remus reached down and picked up his bag off of the floor beside him. "Can I stay over after? At your place, I mean. I don't drive when I'm smashed."

"Of course!" Sirius answered as though Remus had just asked a blatantly obvious question. "Damn, I can't wait to see you drunk. I'll bet it's funny as hell."

"What's funny as hell?" Regulus asked, stepping from behind Sirius to stand next to Remus. He slipped his hand into Remus' and smiled up at him.

"None of your business," Sirius bit and shoved Regulus on the shoulder, making him step back and release Remus' hand.

"Me being drunk," Remus answered in a desperate attempt at peace keeping. "It isn't really that funny," he added, looking back to Sirius. "I talk a lot, say embarrassing junk and fall asleep in weird places. Not really funny, though." He gave a small smile.

"No one's funny when they drink," Regulus said, coldly. "It's just sad really." He gave an apologetic smile to Remus. "Sorry, I just...I don't like alcohol. Probably comes from years of being harassed by this drunk and his drunk friends." He cast a glare towards Sirius and dodged another shove.

"Shut the fuck up, you little baby. No one is asking you to be around him when he's drunk, so just shove it." Sirius cast a glare towards his brother then turned his eyes back to Remus. "I gotta go. I'll see you in class." He turned away, not waiting for a response.

"I wish that you two wouldn't fight like that around me," Remus sighed as he looked down at Regulus.

"I know. I'm really trying not to, he just makes it so hard sometimes." Regulus leaned up and they had a quick kiss. "I have good news. Well, good for me, I mean."

"What is it?"

"I got a role in Mona Lisa. It isn't the lead, it's only a supporting role, but it's still a big part. Plus, I'm hoping it'll be a stepping stool for the next show." Regulus was beaming.

Remus licked his lips and gave Regulus another kiss. "That's fantastic. I'm happy for you and I'll be right in the front row come show time. I'll even take you out to celebrate. Not tonight, but tom- no not tomorrow. Wednesday."

Regulus nodded and got a mischievous smile on his face. "Speaking of celebrating, a little birdy told me that next Friday is your birthday. Is it true?"

"Was that little birdy red headed?" Remus asked through gritted teeth.

"Don't be upset with Lily. She didn't know that I didn't know. She just asked if we were doing anything." Regulus smiled and took Remus' hand back into his own. "So, what do you wanna do that night?"

"I work that night," Remus answered, dryly.

"Then Saturday night."

"I just made plans with your brother for Saturday."

"Then Thursday night."

"I have tutoring on Thursday, you know that."

"So my brother gets you the night before and after and that stupid pizza place gets you the night of." Regulus rolled his eyes and frowned. "We can do something Sunday," he offered.

"Look, I'm not really that big on the whole birthday thing. That's why I didn't tell you about it. Can't we just...ignore it?" Remus gave him hopeful eyes.

Regulus shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the bell. Remus gave a quick laugh and pecked Regulus on the cheek before turning and dashing to class. Regulus frowned and headed in the opposite direction.

"What's your problem?" Evan asked, falling into step beside Regulus. "Having trouble with the yard tools?"

Regulus reached out and shoved Evan sideways into a locker. "Don't you ever shut up?" he asked, angrily. He picked up the pace and left Evan behind, massaging his shoulder.

* * *

Regulus managed to convince Remus to go out the Wednesday night before his birthday. They had caught an early movie and were sitting at Honeydukes, the local burger and milkshake joint across the street from the theatre. Their food had just arrived when Regulus looked towards the door and let out a heavy sigh.

Sirius and James walked into the room and instantly spotted Remus and Regulus. Sirius grabbed James arm and pulled him towards them. James' eyes lit up and he got a cruel smile on his face. He dropped next to Regulus and put his arm around him. Instantly, the two started a whispered argument. Sirius grabbed the chair next to Remus and flipped it around to sit in it backwards. He reached over and snagged one of Remus' fries.

"You're welcome," Remus said with a grin. "What are you two doing? Just out harassing innocent people and stealing their fries?"

Sirius barked out a laugh and shook his head. "He," he pointed at Regulus, "is far from innocent." He locked his eyes with Remus and tilted his head slightly. "I'm not so sure about you, yet. I have my theories though."

"Sirius, are you drunk?" Remus asked, recognizing the same look in his eyes from the night of the...licking incident, which Remus was kind enough to never mention.

"No. Why would you ask that?" Sirius asked, still looking into his eyes.

"No reason. Just wondering is all." Remus gave him a half smile.

"Birthday!" James cried out, pulling both of the boy's attention.

"Regulus, damn it," Remus sighed, putting his hand over his face.

Regulus looked over at Remus and gave him a pained look. "It just slipped out. I didn't mean to. He got me all flustered." He shoved James away from him.

"What about a birthday?" Sirius asked.

"It's Lupo's birthday," James answered.

Sirius turned back to Remus with wide eyes. "Today's your birthday?"

"Friday is," Remus sighed.

"Why didn't you tell me? Damn, I hate short notice. You know what? I saw the perfect thing for you last week. I said to myself, when his birthday rolls around, I'm getting that for Remus. I'll just drive up tomorrow and...why are you shaking your head like that? I'm getting you a birthday gift. Stop shaking your head." Sirius made a stubborn face and crossed his arms.

"Sirius, please don't. I hate gifts, I hate my birthday and I certainly don't want birthday gifts. Just...are you even listening to me?" Remus groaned.

"Nope. I'm thinking about how I'm going to wrap the totally perfect gift that I'm driving into the Hollow for tomorrow," Sirius answered with a smirk.

Godric's Hollow was a small city about a twenty minute drive from West Lake. It was where everyone went to do any major shopping because there was a large, outdoor mall and promenade.

"I'm not going with you," James said without reason. "I have plans tomorrow." He stood up and headed towards an empty table. "Come on, I'm hungry. Let's sit."

Sirius patted Remus on the back and snagged another fry from him. "Don't worry, you'll love it. I promise." He smiled and followed James over to the table.

"How'd it go with Katie?" James asked as they slid into a booth. "You two still going to the party together?"

Sirius shook his head and shrugged. "Nope. She wasn't really my type."

James snorted a laugh. "Is that your way of saying that she was lousy in the sack?"

Sirius frowned for a second, but quickly changed it to a nervous laugh. "That's exactly what I meant," he answered. He pulled the menu in front of his face and cast a glance back at his brother.

"You getting a shake? I am." James pulled his attention back.

"Yeah, banana, same as always," Sirius answered.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Darn those mouth red headed birdies. Honeydukes is my stories version of a Steak & Shake. I hope that everyone has had the pleasure of going to that restaurant. They make these shakes that are so good. Yeah, enough about that. LOL :D -Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	7. Dirty Little Secret

**Chapter 7: Dirty Little Secret**

**.**

Two shirts lay on a heap in the floor of James' bedroom. Music filled the dimly lit room, as did the scent of several well placed candles. James was passionately embracing a short brunette on his bed. Their lips and hands were frantically moving over each other and they were beginning to sweat. James ran his hand over the top of the girls pants and popped open the button.

The door to the bedroom opened and Sirius stepped in. He stood still for a moment, trying to allow his brain to catch up with his eyes. James sat up quickly and shook his head, covering his face with his hands. The girl made a quick grab for her shirt and pulled it on, too startled to notice it was inside out.

"Are you out of your damn mind?" Sirius growled, stepping further into the room. "What the fuck are you thinking? Nothing, that's what!"

The girl stood up timidly and took a step towards the door. "Maybe, I should go."

"Yeah, you should," Sirius snarled at her. "Slut," he muttered as the girl's footsteps could be heard echoing down the stairs. He turned back to James and gave him a disgusted look.

"It wasn't what it looked like," James whispered, refusing to look up at Sirius.

"Well, that's great news! From this angle, it looked like you were about to fuck Amelia Bones, who is _not_ your girlfriend." Sirius picked up James' shirt and flung it at him. "Get dressed."

James pulled on his shirt and watched as Sirius flicked on the light and blew out his candles. "Look, you don't get it, okay. I love Lily, but her no sex policy is killing me."

"Sex isn't everything, James," Sirius said, crossing his arms. "You said this wouldn't happen again. You swore to me that you were through with cheating. This is just disgusting."

"I know what I said, it's just so damn hard. It's easy for you to stand there and say sex isn't everything, you score all the damn time." James snarled at Sirius and turned away from him.

Sirius bit his tongue and took a deep breath. "You wanna be like me, then break it off with Lily. You can't be in a loving, stable relationship _and_ sleep with a lot of different chicks."

"I can if you keep your mouth closed," James muttered.

Sirius shook his head and stormed out of James' room. When he reached his own front door, he pulled out his phone. For a fleeting moment, he considered calling Lily. He couldn't do it, though. No matter how much his behavior sickened him, he couldn't betray his best friend. He scrolled down to Remus' picture and tapped out a message.

**S. Black to R. Lupin: Back early. Come now?**

Remus was laying on his bed, reading, when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Before he had the chance to look, he heard a loud banging noise just outside of his door. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Just ignore it," he mumbled to himself. He read the text and smiled. He was just about to reply when he heard the very distinct sound of breaking glass. "Just ignore it," he repeated. He quickly replied.

**R. Lupin to S. Black: Yes! On my way now.**

He shoved his phone back into his pocket and stood up. He tucked his book away under his mattress and flicked off his lamp. He stood at his door, hand resting on the knob, and took a long, deep breath. As quickly as possible, he opened his door, stepped out, closed the door and made a dash for the front of the house.

He was almost at the front door when he felt a hand close around his upper arm. He was spun around to face a tall, burly man with large brown eyes and receding, greying brown hair. The man had intricate tattoos up both arms that spread over his chest and back.

"Where are you going?" the man asked, narrowing his eyes at Remus.

"Work," Remus whispered, staring down at the worn carpet.

"Antonio's is closed today, you lying little prick. Where the fuck are you really going?"

"Jeffrey!" a woman's voice called from the other room. "I can't find my lighter." The woman stepped into the living room. She bumped into the coffee table causing an empty beer bottle to fall over into an overflowing ashtray. She glared at the table and walked over to Remus and Jeffrey.

Remus looked at the woman and sighed. Her once vibrant blue eyes were a sad reflection of his own. Her hair was long and blonde and held a sense of former grandeur, but now hung lifeless around her shoulders. She was thin, too thin, and the same height as Remus.

"I can't find my lighter," the woman repeated.

Jeffrey reached out and dug into the woman's jean's pocket. He pulled out a yellow lighter and held it up. "Diane, you're as dumb as a fucking post sometimes."

Diane grabbed the lighter and pointed to Jeffrey's hand, still clutched around Remus' arm. "What's going on here?" she asked, lighting a cigarette.

Remus coughed as the smell of smoke mixed sickeningly with the scent of beer that always lay with both adults. "I was trying to go to work."

"I already said Antonio's ain't open today. You tell me where you're really going." Jeffrey jerked his arm forward, pushing Remus against the wall next to the door.

Remus flinched, but relaxed quickly when he realized that nothing was going to follow the shove. "I have the tutoring gig, remember? The Black boy is paying me to keep him from failing. I'm going there."

"See," Diane said. "Let him go so he isn't late."

Jeffrey glared over at Diane. "Your son's a no good liar. I'll bet there isn't any tutoring job." He let go of Remus' arm and put his hand against the door. "I'd bet anything that he's running off to play grab ass with one of those queer-o boys he's always hanging around with." He sneered at Remus. "You make me sick, boy."

"Feeling's mutual," Remus spat, without thinking. He quickly clapped his hand over his mouth and slid down the wall to the floor. "I'm sorry," he cried out, putting one hand up as a shield. He kept his face towards the floor and hugged his knees to his chest. "I didn't mean it." He squeezed his eyes closed and waited.

"Yeah, you are fucking sorry. A sorry excuse for a boy. Fucking running around like some kind of sissy with your -"

"Jeffrey," Diane squeaked.

Jeffrey turned his attention to Diane and raised his eyebrows.

Remus sprang up as soon as Jeffrey was distracted and wrenched open the door. He ran off the porch towards his truck, ignoring Jeffrey who was yelling his name. The sound of the front door slamming, followed by a muffled yell, met his ears as he reached the truck.

He pulled open the door and was about to climb inside when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped back and let out a sharp breath.

"Sorry," Lily said, giving him a worried look. "I was outside and I saw you come out really fast. I just wanted to see if you were okay."

Remus nodded and licked his lips. "Yeah, I'm fine. He's gonna be pissed when I get home though, if he isn't passed out. Do you think th-"

"I'll have mom make up the couch," Lily said with a comforting smile. "I wish you'd take her offer to just stay with us all the time."

"You know why I won't," Remus sighed.

"Yeah, I know. Remus, you aren't a burden. If you'd just consider it..." Lily trailed off. She didn't need to finish, they had already had this conversation countless times and she always lost.

Remus climbed into his truck and gave Lily a small smile. "I gotta go. I told Sirius I'd be heading his way ten minutes ago. I'll see you tonight." He closed the door and waved as Lily walked back across the street.

Sirius was staring out of the front window waiting for Remus to pull up. He walked into the kitchen, feeling a bit foolish for the way he was waiting. He felt like he was back in first grade, waiting for a friend to come over so that they could play Power Rangers. He popped the top of an orange soda, but abandoned it untouched, at the sound of the doorbell.

He reached the front door at the same time as one of the housekeepers and shooed her away. His smile faded the moment he saw the look on Remus' face. "What's wrong?" he asked, stepping aside so Remus could come in.

Remus shook his head and walked past Sirius. He headed towards the study, hitching his bag up onto his shoulder.

Sirius grabbed a hold of Remus' bag and took it from him. He dropped it next to the door. "Come upstairs first," he said, leading the way. He led Remus into his bedroom and closed the door behind them. "I know there's something wrong, I can tell. Whatever it is, I'm here for you. You can trust me." He sat on the edge of his bed and looked up at Remus with concern.

"I'm fine, really," Remus insisted. He took a seat next to Sirius and forced a smile. "I just got stuck behind a guy driving twenty under the limit and it ticked me off. No big deal."

Sirius nodded slowly and cut his eyes away. "Okay." He got up and walked over to his dresser. "By, okay, I don't mean that I believe you. Just so you know. It's an okay meaning... I know that you're lying to me, but you must have a good reason and I'm not going to push you into telling me anything that you aren't ready to." He picked up a poorly wrapped present and walked back over to the bed. He sat down again.

Remus looked down at the package as Sirius pressed it into his hands. "Thanks. For this and for what you just said." He smiled over at Sirius and sighed with contentment.

"Don't thank me yet, you gotta open it first."

Remus laughed and pulled away the paper. Under it was a box set of a collection of old time werewolf movies. His eyes lit up as he read over the titles. "This... this is freaking awesome." He looked up at Sirius with a huge, genuine smile and bit his bottom lip. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, what do you say that we forget about stupid old Chemistry and watch one of them. We can make popcorn." Sirius raised his eyebrows and moved his shoulders happily.

"Okay," Remus answered. "I don't feel like working right now, anyways."

As they stepped into the hallway, Regulus looked at Remus with wide eyes. "Hey! What, um...what are you doing here? It's early." He shoved his hand awkwardly into his pocket.

"We're about to watch a movie. Wanna join?" Remus leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.

"Sure," Regulus answered. "I just have to do something first. I'll be down in a minute." He walked into his room and leaned his back against the door.

Regulus let out an agitated sigh and pulled his phone from his pocket. He looked down at it.

**B. Mindler to R. Black: Just walk over. 2 blocks! No biggie.**

He closed his eyes and shook his head. After a few deep breaths, he replied.

**R. Black to B. Mindler: No**

He pulled himself together and pulled open his door. His phone went off again.

**B. Mindler to R. Black: Tease much? Jerk. W/E don't come then. IDC!**

He glared down at his phone and tossed it onto the bed before walking out and joining Remus and his brother in the entertainment room.

Remus smiled and slipped his arm around Regulus' shoulders as he sat down. "I'm not keeping you from anything, am I?"

"Nope," Regulus answered with a smile. "Nowhere I'd rather be." He leaned up for a kiss and settled into place. "Is this scary? The box looks scary."

Remus gave a quiet laugh. "Don't worry, I'm here if it gets too scary." He squeezed Regulus' shoulders and pressed their foreheads together.

"Get a room, jerks," Sirius spat. He dropped onto the couch on the other side of Remus and picked up a bowl of popcorn. "How far until someone gets eaten?"

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Everyone has secrets, don't they? Some a bit more dirty than others. Don't be afraid to hit that review button, it likes it. Thank you for reading. :D -Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	8. The Poison

**Chapter 8: The Poison**

**.**

The Potter house was packed full of teenagers, not only from West Lake, but from some of the surrounding towns as well. Beer bottles clanged together and tipped over as people made their way around. The smell of smoke wafted through the house and most of the party goers were certain it was not from cigarettes. Music by Muse blared through the house's intricate speaker system and many of the people were jumping around in a sad, drunken attempt at dancing.

Sirius held a beer bottle in one hand and Remus' wrist in the other. Remus was smiling and attempting to apologize to the people who Sirius was pushing aside as he dragged Remus to the kitchen. The kitchen was the only room that was cut off from the loud music and brightly lit. Coolers sat on every counter, holding iced down beer.

Remus dropped his empty bottle into the large trash can as they passed by it. Sirius sat his half drunk bottle on the counter and turned to Remus, a goofy smile on his face.

"You can let go," Remus said, leaning against the counter. "We made it."

Sirius felt his cheeks flush as he released his hold on the boy's wrist. He reached into the closest cooler, pulled out a beer, opened it and handed it to Remus.

Remus took the bottle with a smirk. "You're trying to get me drunk," he slurred.

"You're already drunk, Moony." Sirius bust out into his loud, barking laugh and leaned towards Remus. "Moony! That's what I'm gonna call you from now on." He took a step forward and curled his finger for Remus to come closer. "Wanna know why?" he asked in a whisper, looking around suspiciously.

"No," Remus answered with a laugh. He took a long drink and pouted when he saw Sirius' fallen, sad face. "I'm...I'm only kidding," he said. He reached out and put his arm around Sirius' shoulders and gave him a squeeze. "Of course, I wanna know." He laid his head on Sirius' shoulder.

"It's because you like the wolf movies," Sirius said, still pouting slightly.

"That's-that's genius, Sirius." Remus beamed and moved to face him. He stumbled and grabbed onto the counter, letting out a strained laugh.

Sirius' eyes lit up and he smiled. "You really think so? You are a genius," he pointed to Remus, "like a really real genius."

Remus gasped. "I am? Oh, fuck, I am!" He laughed and wiggled his beer in front of him. "Not right now, I'm not," he whispered. "Co-could you imagine," he spread his arms wide, "if one of those...those..." He dropped his arms and made an annoyed face. "Recruiters!" He thrust his finger into the air. "Could you imagine if one of those stuffed shirt, head up their asses, I'm too good to mow my own lawn recruiters was to see me right now? Oh, wow!"

Sirius barked a laugh but was quickly taken aback. "Hey! You mow _my _lawn. You don't think that I'm one of those shirt stuffer, snobby pants, do you?" He looked at Remus, hurt in his eyes.

"No way!" Remus shook his head and smiled. "You're nothing like that. You're-you're...my best friend." He nodded and pressed his lips tightly together.

"That's the nicest thing I've ever seen," Sirius whispered. He smiled drunkenly, and was about to speak when he felt a hand in his.

A tiny girl with dirty blonde hair pulled Sirius towards her by the hand. "Sirius Black, you owe me a date." She threw her arms around his neck and leaned against him.

Sirius looked down at her with confusion. "Katie?" He gasped and sniggered into his hand. "Katie! Yeah, you can have a date. Where do you wanna date to?" He looked over at Remus and winked at him.

Remus sputtered into his beer and looked Katie over from behind. He gave Sirius a thumbs up and covered his mouth to hide his smile.

Katie giggled and stepped away. "I wanna date upstairs," she said, taking Sirius' hand again and pulling him towards the living room.

"No!" Sirius cried out in a pouty voice. "I don't wanna go with you, I wanna stay with Moony." He crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at Katie. "He-he has blue eyes. You...don't have blue eyes. Do you? No, you don't. I'm staying right here with blue eyes." He gave a curt nod and stuck up his nose.

Katie rolled her eyes at Sirius and shrugged. "You stay here then, your loss. Just so you know, _blue eyes_ over there just ditched your drunk ass." She giggled hysterically and walked away.

Sirius spun around and looked over at where he had just left Remus. His face fell when he saw that Remus was no longer in the kitchen. "Moony?" he whispered.

"Who are you looking for?" Lily asked, stepping up beside Sirius.

Sirius gave a disappointed face. "Moony. He says you're my best friend then he just goes away." He leaned back against the counter and grabbed his beer.

"Who is Moony? Are you talking about Remus? He just walked into the den." Lily couldn't help but smirk at the way that Sirius was pouting. She had never seen him in such a state.

"Yes, Remus. He just took off." Sirius looked at the floor. "I can't believe he just left me like that. Evans, I don't feel so well."

Lily took a step to the side and gave Sirius a horrified look. "Do you need to go outside?"

"No. I don't mean it that way. I'm not gonna hurl. I mean..." Sirius sighed and drained his beer. He looked back over at Lily and frowned. "I-I...I think that I..." He swallowed hard, looked at the floor and lowered his voice. "I think that I might kinda, sorta, have a...crush on Remus." He looked back up at Lily with a shocked face. "Evans, I think I'm losing it."

Lily looked at Sirius with a stunned face. "You aren't losing it, you're just...well, you're drunk. Look, you stay right here and I'll go get Remus." She turned and bolted out of the kitchen, shaking her head. She headed into the den and over towards Remus.

Remus was leaning up against a wall, having an animated conversation with a girl who was frowning at him. Lily put her hand around Remus' arm and pulled him away. He tripped over a bottle and sniggered when Lily rolled her eyes.

"Remus, come back into the kitchen. Black says you ditched him." Lily said sweetly, trying to lead her stumbling friend back into the kitchen.

"You lie!" Remus said, pulling away from her. "Sirius went with that tramp." He gasped and clapped his hand over his mouth. "I mean Katie." He pointed up and wiggled his finger. "They went up there to...you know." He nodded and raised his eyebrows. "Speaking of you know what, there is my little Black."

Regulus walked up, his hands in his pockets, and shook his head. "Your little Black? Is that what I am?" he asked with a smirk. "How many have you had?"

Remus shrugged and pulled Regulus over to him. "Enough," Remus whispered, bringing his lips onto the boy's neck.

Regulus smiled and pulled away. He took Remus' hand and started to pull him towards the door.

"Wait," Lily said, grabbing Remus' other hand. "Your brother wanted to talk to him."

"I don't care," Regulus snapped. He reached over and pushed Lily's hand away from Remus'. "I'm taking _my_ boyfriend back to my house before he gets too drunk and does something stupid."

"I'd say that he's been doing something stupid while sober," Lily sneered at Regulus and walked away.

Remus laughed and pointed towards Lily. "She's mean."

Regulus pulled Remus out of the house and off of the front walkway. They passed by James, who was pressed up against Amelia, kissing her. Remus tried to stop, but Regulus kept pulling.

"Wait! That's James," Remus cried out, trying to look back as they walked.

"Yes, it is," Regulus answered.

"But-but that wasn't Lily." Remus tripped over his own feet and dropped to the ground.

Regulus lifted Remus to his feet and pulled him into the house. "It isn't your business." He closed the door and locked it behind them.

"It is my business. That low down, jack ass is cheating on Lily. She-she's a good girl. She doesn't deserve that." Remus pulled out his phone and squinted at it.

Regulus pulled the phone out of his hand and led him, carefully, up the stairs. He brought him into his room and pushed him down onto the bed. "You need to sleep this off. You're acting like a fool." He sat Remus' phone on the night stand.

Remus laughed quietly as he hit the bed and reached out to grab Regulus' hand. He pulled the boy down onto the bed next to him and wrapped his arms around his waist. Remus pushed his lips against his, but he pulled away.

"You taste like beer." Regulus frowned.

"Who cares?" Remus sat up more and tightened his hold around Regulus. He reached up and pulled on the neck of his shirt, revealing the boy's shoulder.

Regulus flinched, but Remus held him in place. Remus lowered his lips onto his shoulder and brushed them up to his neck. He kissed him several times and put his teeth on his skin. Regulus gasped and pushed Remus away.

"Don't bite me," Regulus whispered. "We aren't animals. Be easy."

Remus smiled and shook his head. "Alright, I'll be easy." He put his lips back onto Regulus' neck and kissed him softly. "I wanna...have sex! Yeah, have sex. You still want to, right?" he asked, pushing against him.

"Yeah, I do. Not with you drunk, though."

"Shush! I'm not too drunk to make you feel good," Remus whispered. He pushed Regulus flat against the bed and moved over him. He gave him a deep, and sloppy at first, kiss and pressed his hips hard against him. "Hey," he said, pulling up. "Take your glasses off."

Regulus gave him a confused look, but took them off.

Remus laughed and sat up on his knees. He smiled down at him and shook his head. "Y-you do! You look just like your brother. It's weird." He put his hands on either side of Regulus' head and bent to kiss him.

Regulus shoved against his chest, knocking Remus onto the bed. He sat up and shoved his glasses on with a frown.

"What?" Remus cried out.

"I'd rather if the first time we have sex, you weren't drunk and thinking about my brother." Regulus crossed his arms and turned away.

Remus scoffed and wrapped his arms around Regulus' chest from behind. "I'm not. Thinking about your brother, I mean. I am drunk. I'm fucking smashed," he said, trying with no success to contain his laughter. He dipped his head and ran his tongue over the boy's neck.

Regulus slapped his hand over his neck and pushed Remus away. "Damn, you might be sexy as fuck, but you're kinda weird. Sleep that shit off and we'll get back to this when you're sober."

Remus huffed and fell back onto the bed. He grabbed his phone and squinted at it again. He managed to find Lily's name and sent her a message.

**R. Lupin to L. Evans: Jsmrd id eiyh snoyhrt hitl.**

Lily looked down at her phone and laughed. "He is really out of it. That makes no sense."

"Who's out of it?" Sirius asked, tipping his head back on the couch.

"Remus. He just sent me some nonsense text." Lily gave Sirius a sympathetic smile. "I tried to keep him here. Your bro-"

"My brother is a little jerk. They're probably over there," Sirius pointed in the general direction of his house, "Right now having sex. Do you think they're having sex? I bet they're having sex. I hate it so much." He let out a pained groan and brought a bottle to his lips. "I'm not even gay! I'm not. I like girls, don't I?" He looked at Lily for an answer, but kept talking before she could give one. "I'm just being silly. I just hate that my brother has something and I wanna take it away. I've always done that. Just pushed him down and taken his stuff."

"Black, I think you're just drunk and have no clue what you are saying. You're the guy that has gone with nearly every girl in school. You aren't gay. Not gay, drunk." Lily took his beer and swatted his hand when he reached for it. "Too drunk."

Sirius closed his eyes and let his head fall to the side. He nuzzled into the crook of the couch and let out a whimper. "When I'm sober again, I won't want him anymore, right?"

"Right," Lily answered.

"It hurts. I've never felt it hurt like this. Promise it'll go away?"

"I promise."

"Evans, if it's j-just because I'm drunk, then why did it hurt this morning too?" Sirius shook his head and pulled his jacket over his face. He sniffed hard and waved his hand at Lily. "Go away!"

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Yay for drunken confessions! Be prepared for plenty more of those. It seems our favorite rebel can't hold his tongue when drunk. That is a good thing on our part, I believe. So, is his revelation of crushing Remus real or is it just drunken rambling? :D -Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP on the HPFF forums.**


	9. Mona Lisa

**Chapter 9: Mona Lisa (When the World Comes Down)**

**.**

March faded fast and bled into April. The rising temperature outside brought smiles to everyone's faces in anticipation of the fast approaching summer. James and Sirius kept busy with extra practice. Even Peter, the towel boy, was putting in extra time to get the Milton Ravens ready for the play-offs. The extra hours were worth it in the end; they won the play-offs. First time the Ravens took the trophy in sixteen years. James threw a huge party to celebrate, not that he needed a reason.

Regulus stayed hard at work with rehearsals, his effort also paying off when he received a raving review from the local paper for his performance in Mona Lisa. Remus was, as promised, in the front row for each show. Lily even took the time to join Remus at half of the shows. The two of them had been just as busy as the others. Finals were eminent and they were both preparing to take their PSATs at the end of April.

As May dawned, everyone's lives got a lot less hectic. Basketball games, tests, plays and stress were a thing of the past. There were only two weeks left in school and by then, even the teachers had checked out. Classes consisted of the students sitting around, talking, reading, texting, whatever they wanted, while the teachers sat at their desks attempting to beat their own high score at solitaire.

The last day of school was a flurry of turned in textbooks, overfilled trash cans and empty lockers. Sirius was standing at his open locker, staring down at a library book that he could have sworn he returned in October. He shrugged and handed the book to Peter, who was already holding three of James' overdue books and a text book of Lily's. After a while, a short, chubby, blonde girl walked up and laced her hand into Sirius'. James and Lily both gave her a small wave and turned their attention back to each other.

Remus stepped up beside Sirius and rested his arm on his shoulder. "Ready to go, Lily?"

Lily nodded and took a step towards Remus. He was giving her a ride home so that James could have extra time to prepare for the big 'end of the year' party that he was throwing that night.

"You coming tonight, Lupo?" James asked casually. While he no longer felt the need to narrow his eyes at Remus, at least when being watched, the use of his proper name was still out of his ability range.

"Of course he is," Sirius answered for him, smiling.

The blonde girl looked up and smiled at Remus. "Lupo? You must be Remus. It's nice to meet you, I'm -"

Remus held up his hand to silence her. "You know, I don't really bother learning your names anymore. You'll just be a different girl next week."

"Or even tomorrow," James added, beaming at Remus.

"Could be tonight," Lily pitched in, unable to resist.

The girl, whose name was Dora, looked up at Sirius. He covered his mouth and snorted a laugh into his hand, trying to ignore the angry stare he was getting. Remus tugged on Lily's arm and the two of them headed out to his truck.

"My, my, Lily Evans, I'd have to say that you're developing quite the mean streak," Remus laughed as he started the truck and pulled on his seat belt.

"I have not. I just couldn't help it. That little...harpie, yeah I said it, harpie, is always trying to copy my work." Lily huffed and folded her arms as they turned out of the parking lot.

"So it has nothing to do with the rumors that James was messing around with her?" Remus asked, glancing over at her with concern.

"I don't put much stock into rumors. If they were worth a damn, they wouldn't be called rumors, they'd be called facts."

"Well, I know for a _fact _that James has cheated on you. Many times."

"You don't know. You were drunk and you coulda mistaken someone else for him."

Remus frowned. "Well, I trust Sirius and he's told me plenty of times that he's caught James." He let out a sigh and shook his head. They had already been through the same discussion many times. He knew Lily wouldn't let it sink in unless she saw for herself.

"You just don't like James because he calls you Lupo."

"Yeah, it's all about that. I'm just glad you aren't sleeping with the jerk. You aren't...right?"

"That's not your business." Lily looked out of the window and sighed. "No, I'm not. You know how I feel about sex before marriage."

"Good. I just hope you keep feeling that way."

"Who are you to lecture me, hypocrite. I don't see you waiting 'till marriage."

"Hey! I made a different life choice than you. You know how hard it was for me when I realized that... Look, just because I do something different than you, doesn't make me right. You're the right one here."

"So change then. Don't have sex again until you're married."

Remus laughed and shook his head. "First of all, I don't plan on ever getting married. I couldn't most places, even if I wanted to. Besides, I like it, I'm not gonna just give it up completely. You can call me a hypocrite all you want, that won't change things. At least I'm selective, not like...some people who just go off with any piece of trash that stands still long eno-"

"Remus. You alright there, buddy? You're looking a little pissed off."

"I'm fine," Remus sighed. "I just got carried away. My point was, I don't just throw it around. It has to mean something."

"It should mean that you're in love," Lily pointed out.

"Yeah, it would if I believed in that crap. You know I don't, so why even go there?"

"I don't know, I guess maybe I thought you've changed your mind. With recent events and all."

Remus gave Lily an amused grin. "You think I'm in love with Regulus? Now I know you've lost it. Even if I wanted to be in love with him, I couldn't be. He's just like Cam in so many ways and I'm about ninety-five percent sure that it'll go down the same way. If it hasn't already."

"I saw him. Two days ago."

"Saw who?" Remus asked.

"Cameron. He was at the video store when James and I went in. He's working there now."

"Remind me to never get the urge to rent a movie."

"He asked about you."

"Did you tell him to go fuck himself?" Remus sneered as he pulled onto their street.

"Not in those exact words, but more or less, yeah." Lily laughed.

Remus laughed as well as he pulled into the driveway. He shut off the truck and removed his seat belt.

"You really think he's cheating?" Lily asked, quietly.

"Are you asking about James or Regulus?"

"Regulus. You said he was like Cameron, so you must think that's what he's doing. I don't see it. Every time I see you together he seems so...devoted to you."

Remus took a deep breath and rubbed his fingers over his lips. "Yeah, it's the little things. The way his eyes flick when he gets some texts, the way he smells...different when he's been out all day, the way he holds my hand a little tighter when certain people are around." He let out another deep breath and leaned his head back. "I guess when you have as much experience being played as I have, you learn the tells. Like I said, he's just like Cam, the tells are the same."

"Why not break it off? You don't deserve to be cheated on. If you think he is, then dump him."

Remus licked his lips and shook his head again. He rubbed his hands roughly over his face and put his head on the steering wheel. "Because, I'm crazy about him. I can handle it, as long as he keeps his mouth closed about it, I can handle it. Does that make me completely pathetic?"

"No, but it should make you understand why I can't believe any of those rumors about James. There's only one person that I would ever imagine being with other than him." Lily held up her hand when she saw the warning look on Remus' face. "I'm not trying to talk about that, I'm talking about James. I just feel like if I didn't have him, my world would fall apart."

"I guess that makes us both pathetic."

"You should know something. It's not about me, it's about..." Lily looked out of the window and bit her bottom lip. "If I knew something about someone and they had sorta told me that they were crushing on you, would you wanna know?"

"Someone told you that they had a crush on me? Who? When?"

"It was at James' party, right after your birthday. He was sort of drunk and at the time I thought he was just saying it because he was drunk."

"So you don't think that it was drunken stupidity now?"

"No. I've been noticing...little things. I don't think it's just the beer anymore. I think it was the beer that made him tell me, but I think he was being honest. D-do you wanna know who it was?"

Remus tightened his jaw and closed his eyes. He shook his head and climbed out of the truck.

Lily got out and ran around the truck to head him off. "Why not? I think you should listen. At least if you were with him then you wouldn't be sitting around wondering if he's cheating."

Remus glared down at Lily and put his hand out. "Look, Lily, you're really smart but you need to learn the difference between when a person says something _real_ and when they spout off drunken confessions that aren't true."

"Well, I think it is true," Lily said, angrily.

"Then you're an idiot!" Remus spat. He ignored the look of horror on her face and went on. "You know the number one way to tell if a guy is straight? Do you? It's the way he has a new damn girlfriend every week. Open your eyes, Lily. Let me try and lay this out for you. Me, gay. James, straight. Regulus, gay. _Sirius_...straight!" He brushed past Lily and headed for his house.

"If you're so sure about that, then how did you know who I was talking about?" Lily called after him, turning to face Remus.

Remus turned around and walked, angrily, back over to Lily. "You think you're so smart, huh? He gets drunk...a lot. He sits there and says that stupid crap...a lot. Time after time I've gotten drunk with him. Not just at the parties, me, James and Sirius, we hang out and drink more than you think. Every time, he looks at me and starts saying all sorts of flirty nonsense. Then every time he sobers up, I get to hear 'so sorry, Remus, I was drunk and talking like a fool'. You know what that's like? Huh?"

Lily shook her head and looked at the ground.

"That's what I thought. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have reality to get back to. If you want a ride to the party tonight, I suggest you be ready by seven." Remus turned and stormed into his house, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Lily was ready at seven and waiting next to Remus' truck with her overnight bag. Fifteen minutes after, Remus came out of the house and headed over to the truck, his own bag hanging from his shoulder. He stopped in front of Lily and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm really sorry. Really, really sorry. I shouldn't have gone off like that." Remus let her go and nodded towards the truck. "Let's go."

"You're forgiven," Lily said as she pulled on her seat belt. "And...you're bleeding." She reached into Remus' glove compartment and pulled out a napkin bearing the local coffee shop logo. She handed it to him.

Remus took the napkin and pulled down his visor to look into the mirror. He pressed the napkin to his split lip and held it there, waiting for the blood to stop. Lily reached over and lifted the side of Remus' shirt, revealing a large, yellowed bruise.

"It's almost gone," she said, clearly trying to keep from looking upset.

Remus nodded and flipped up the visor. He held the napkin in place and started the truck. They rode in silence all the way to West Lake. When Remus pulled into the driveway of Sirius' house, Lily let out a heavy sigh and turned to face him.

"You should go to Phoenix. Stay with your grandparents."

Remus rolled his eyes and opened the door. "Lily, I've made it this long, I can make it one more year. After graduation, it'll be 'goodbye South Lake' and 'hello Connecticut'." He smiled and got out of the truck.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: For those of you who don't know, Connecticut is home to the Ivy League college, Yale. So, I wasn't being random with the state. More to come on that later. Also, who is this 'Cam' and what part will he play in the future of our story? Stay tuned. Reviews are love, send me a little. Thanks for reading so far and thanks to my anonymous reviewers. :D –Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP on the HPFF forums.**


	10. I'm Waiting

**Chapter 10: I'm Waiting**

**.**

By three in the morning, the 'end of the year' party at James' house had died down and the remaining partiers were passed out in various areas of the house. Sirius stepped over a sleeping girl, who he was fairly sure was his girlfriend, and grabbed Remus' arm.

"Let's get outta here, Moony." Sirius pulled him from the house and out into the quiet of the early morning, then pulled the door closed behind them.

Sirius slipped his arm around Remus' waist and Remus put his arm around his shoulders. They leaned into each other to keep from stumbling on the short walk between James' front door and Sirius'. When they made it from the walkway and onto the grass, Sirius shifted nervously.

"Can I ask you something, Moony?" Sirius slurred out.

"You just did!" Remus burst out laughing and tripped on the grass.

Sirius tightened his hold to keep Remus from falling. "I wanna ask you something kinda personal."

"Go on then." Remus laid his head on Sirius' shoulder.

"Is-is my brother, is he is the only, I mean have you...is he the only...how many guys have you slept with, besides-besides my st...stupid brother?" Sirius leaned into Remus, causing them to head towards Sirius' back yard rather than front.

"I haven't...haven't had sex with your brother, yet. We-we're waiting until five months." Remus held up his free hand and wiggled his fingers. "Five," he said in a girly and sing-song voice. "No, not him. I-I've slept with..." He scrunched his face and tilted his head. "Three guys. Three guys and a-a-a and a one girl." He gave a short nod.

"What? You've had sex with a girl? But-but," Sirius shook his head and started whispering, "you're gay."

Remus laughed so hard, he tripped and knocked Sirius onto the ground with him. "How do you think I know that?" he asked through the tears of laughter. "It was just once."

Sirius got back to his feet and did his best to help Remus up. "That's just great!" He flung his arms up and huffed. "My-my _gay_ best friend has-has-has slept with _more _girls than I have."

Remus stopped walking and stared at Sirius in awe. Sirius took a few steps before realizing that Remus wasn't moving. He turned around, raised one eyebrow and made an elaborate gesture for Remus to follow him.

"You're just kidding, right? I mean, you...you've slept with lots of girls. I-I've heard it...from them." Remus couldn't move, he was in shock.

Sirius walked back over and shook his head. He linked his arm with Remus' to make him keep walking. "I lie. They lie. It-it's actually very genius. You see they...they all think that all the other girls think that the girls have slept with me so they say it too. I-I just let them." He stumbled slightly.

Remus caught Sirius before he could fall and tilted his head. "Why?"

"I don't know." Sirius pouted. "It started as me just trying to impress James and just got out of hand. I don't wanna, don't want with them it just..." He let out a heavy sigh, annoyed that he couldn't find his words. "I'm waiting until I'm in love before I have sex." He dropped his arm from Remus' and fell back onto the large patio swing. He pulled Remus to sit next to him and put his arm around his shoulder. "I know you don't believe in love, Moony, but I do. I do. I know that there's love 'cause well...I just know, okay?"

Remus leaned back into the swing and put his foot out to keep it from moving. He closed his eyes and felt Sirius shift against him.

"Hey," Sirius said, a laugh in his voice. "When-when you have sex, are you on the top or the bottom?"

Remus let out a quiet laugh. "That depends on w- hey! That's none of your business." He turned his head and glared at Sirius. "Perv."

Sirius pulled his arm away and crossed them in front of his chest. "I'm not a perv. I'm just curious. Jerk." He stood up and offered his hand to Remus. "Let's go in."

Remus took his hand, but rather than it helping Remus to his feet, it ended up pulling Sirius down on top of him. He let out a laugh and raised his eyebrows. "You must be very curious. Are you trying to find out for yourself?"

Sirius laughed and tried to stand back up. "Great, now I gotta worry about your drunk ass trying to jump me tonight."

Remus shoved Sirius away and pulled himself to his feet. "Don't worry. If I get all excited, I'll just crawl down the hall to your brother's room."

Sirius frowned and stuck out his tongue. "I don't wanna hear about you and my brother, it's just weird." He led the way upstairs to his room, holding onto the rail as they went.

Once in Sirius' bedroom, Remus dropped down to sit on the bed. Sirius stumbled over to his bathroom to wash the dirt off of his hands from the fall outside.

"Isn't it weird for you?" Sirius called from the bathroom. "I mean, he looks almost just like me. It has to be a little weird, right?"

"It isn't weird," Remus answered, laying down on the bed. "In fact, sometimes, I take his glasses off and pretend it's you."

Sirius laughed and turned off the water. "You're just kidding, right?" He grabbed the towel and waited, only silence came from the other room. "Right?" he asked again. He was met with more silence. "Remus, you were only joking, weren't you?" He tossed the towel onto the counter and stepped into the room, prepared to ask again.

Remus was laying on the bed, eyes closed, one arm over his stomach and the other out beside him. Sirius smirked and pulled Remus' shoes off, letting them drop into the floor. He kicked off his own and started to climb onto the bed, but hesitated. He looked towards the door and made a nervous face. He looked back to Remus and sighed.

"Are you asleep? I don't think we should share the bed. You're asleep." Sirius sighed again. "I don't want my brother to get the wrong idea. I-I think I'll just lay on the floor."

Remus reached out and grabbed Sirius' hand. He scooted to the other side and pulled Sirius down beside him. "I locked the door," he mumbled. "Just lay down and shush."

Sirius did as he was told. He nuzzled into one of his pillows and closed his eyes, leaving his hand locked with Remus'.

* * *

Sirius stood in front of his stereo, his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. He reached out and turned up the volume before half dancing his way back into the bathroom. Remus was leaned over the sink, scrubbing his teeth and smirking at Sirius' dance.

"Mofe, Mooey," Sirius said, bumping his hip into Remus and making him take a step aside. He leaned over, spit into the sink and smirked at Remus before sticking his toothbrush back in his mouth.

Remus frowned and knocked his shoulder into Sirius, pushing him aside. "You mofe," he said leaning back over the sink.

The resulting shove-fight over the sink left both boys on the bathroom floor, clutching their sides with laughter. Sirius used the counter to pull himself to his feet and reached down to help Remus up. He cast an amused glance at the toothpaste spattered sink and shook his head.

"That settles it, Moony, when we get married, we're gonna have two sinks in the bathroom." Sirius let out a barking laugh and started wiping off the counter.

Remus laughed and helped Sirius by wiping down the mirror. "Alright, Sirius, I promise," he said, with heavy sarcasm. "When we get married, we'll get a place with two sinks."

"More like you'll get," Sirius snorted. "I'll be broke. Doctor Lupin will have to support us both." He turned and headed out of the bathroom.

"Not even! I'm not gonna support your jobless -" Remus closed his mouth when he stepped into the bedroom and saw Regulus standing in the doorway.

"Morning, sunshine," Regulus said in a flat tone. He leaned against the door frame and lifted his watch to his face. "Correction. Good afternoon." He raised his eyebrows and gave Remus an annoyed smile.

Remus crossed the room and put his arms around Regulus' waist. He looked down at him and gave a pout. "We were at the party until about three thirty. I didn't mean to sleep so late."

"So am I early for the wedding?" Regulus asked. He ran his tongue over his teeth and rolled his eyes before pushing away from Remus and heading down the hall to his room.

Remus groaned and followed Regulus down the hallway. The two walked into his room and closed the door, leaving Sirius alone in his own room. Sirius angrily slammed his door and fell onto his bed. He pulled one of his pillows into his arms and rolled onto his side.

"_Am I early for the wedding_?" Sirius repeated in a mocking and annoyed tone. "What a jerk." He pushed his face down into the pillow and realized that it was one Remus had slept on all night. After a moment, he sat up and threw the pillow across the room, letting out and angry growl.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Okay, show of hands... Who saw the 'Sirius is a virgin' thing coming? Really, that many of you, huh? Who was blown away? Sirius believes in love, maybe he needs to give a few good reasons to our heart denying lycanthrope (well, you know what I mean). :D –Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP on the HPFF forums.**


	11. One More Sad Song

**Chapter 11: One More Sad Song**

**.**

Sirius turned his car into the driveway of Remus' house and parked behind his truck. He climbed out and headed towards the house. He intended to knock on the door, but found no need once he reached the porch. Remus was sitting on the porch, leaning against the wall next to the door with a book open in his lap. He was listening to Snow Patrol so loud that Sirius could clearly hear every word through the boy's ear buds. He looked down at Remus and smiled as he slid his foot forward and nudged Remus'.

Remus flinched, violently. He practically threw his book to the side, dragging his arm across his chest and yanking out the headphones. He jerked his knees up to his chest and covered his face with his arm as he looked up. His eyes grew wide and angry when he saw Sirius standing there.

Remus jumped to his feet, shoving his headphones in his pocket, and pushed Sirius back off of the porch. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he hissed at him.

Sirius reached up and put his hands on Remus' chest, bringing them to a halt between the porch and driveway. "I came to see if you wanted to get lunch with me," he answered, feeling offended by Remus' reaction. "What's wrong with you, Moony?"

Remus stepped around him and pulled on Sirius' arm. "Okay, lunch sounds great, but let's go now," he said, hurriedly.

A loud crash from inside the house caused Sirius to spin around and gape. "What was that?"

"Nothing, let's go!" Remus jerked on his arm, roughly.

"Ow! What is your problem? Don't you wanna see what that was?" Sirius gave Remus a confused face and pulled his arm away.

"Sirius, pl-" Remus was interrupted by the sound of the screen door slamming against the outer wall of the house. "Sirius, get in your fucking car, now," he ordered as Jeffrey stepped onto the porch.

"Okay, come with me," Sirius whispered, not liking the look on Remus' face. He grabbed his hand and started to pull him towards the car, but Remus jerked away as though he had been bitten.

"Who the hell are you?" Jeffrey asked, stepping off of the porch and looking down at Sirius.

Sirius opened his mouth to answer, but Remus cut him off.

"He's no one. He came to get me, that's all and now, he's leaving." Remus pushed Sirius towards the car, thankful he wasn't resisting.

Jeffrey followed behind them and watched as Sirius opened his door and sat down. He grabbed Remus by the arm and spun him around. "I told you not to be bringing any of your sissy boys around this house, didn't I? I was clear that your little fagot friends weren't allowed here." He nodded and stared into Remus' eyes.

"He isn't. He's-he's just a friend, alright? He's leaving right now and he won't be back. I swear." Remus swallowed hard and looked at the ground.

Jeffrey let go of Remus, but the look in his eyes made it clear that he intended to finish the conversation later. He turned and slowly walked back to the house.

"Remus, get in the car," Sirius ordered and gave him a look that left no room for argument.

Remus walked around and climbed into Sirius' car. Once the doors were closed, he turned to Sirius, angry. "I told you not to come to my house. I _know_ I said it...more than once. I said Sirius, I don't want you near my house." He shook his head and looked out of the window. "Don't you ever listen, to anyone?" He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing.

"I'm sorry," Sirius whispered, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Just turn on the car and get out of my driveway before he comes back." Remus pulled on his seat belt and sat in silence as they made their way down the street. "How did you even find my house?"

"James told me how to get to Lily's and I saw your truck. Moony, I didn't mean to get you in trouble." Sirius pulled into an empty church parking lot and put the car in park. "Please, look at me."

Remus licked his lips and faced Sirius, his eyes still angry.

"I thought that you didn't want me over because of where you lived, I had no idea it was...that." Sirius tried to put his hand on Remus' shoulder, but he pushed it away. "Remus, I'm sorry," he choked out. He could feel himself about to cry, but was fighting it.

Remus let out a heavy breath and grabbed Sirius' hand. He gave it a small squeeze and let go. "I know. I shouldn't be mad at you. It's not your fault." He leaned his head back and looked at Sirius. "I'm sorry for what he sa-"

"Don't you dare apologize for him," Sirius bit. His hand flinched towards Remus', but he pulled it back and laced his own fingers together. "Your dad's a jerk."

Remus sat up and made an angry face. "That _man _is not my dad," he growled. He took a deep breath and leaned back into the seat. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just... well my dad... he _was_ a jerk. He used to cheat on my mom and gambled a lot. He was a lousy drunk. He yelled all the time but he never...I mean _never_ put his hands on me or my mom."

Sirius nodded and bit his bottom lip. "What, um...what, well...where is he? Are they divorced?"

Remus shook his head and stared out of the window. "He's dead. He was a cop, well State Trooper. Pulled over a guy for a broken tail light, went to the window, guy pulled a gun. They uh, they found out later that the guy was running drugs. He didn't want to get caught, so..." he trailed off.

Sirius put his hand on Remus' shoulder again, glad he didn't push it away. "How long ago?"

"Nine years ago. Nine years, two months and twenty three days. It's easy to remember the date. A lot of people, they tend to forget exact dates like that, but I can't forget it." Remus took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Two months, twenty three days. That's..." Sirius made a pained face and rubbed his thumb over Remus' shoulder. "That's your birthday," he whispered.

Remus nodded and reached up. He laid his hand over Sirius' and they sat in silence for a while.

"That man at your house. That's your mom's..." Sirius trailed off using a questioning tone.

"Her boyfriend. Jeffrey." Remus dropped his hand and turned to face Sirius completely. "Yeah, about a year after my dad died, my mom tells me that she's gonna join AA. She goes for a while but, um...instead of bringing home one of those little chips at the end of the month, she brings home Jeffrey. Two weeks later, he moved in."

Sirius smiled and licked his lips. "Moony, I really wish that you woulda told me all of this before. I get it though. We really haven't been friends that long. I guess it just seems longer because I see you so much."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. So, uh, you said something about lunch." Remus smiled and ran his tongue over his bottom lip.

Sirius turned right in his seat and pulled his seat belt back on. "Pizza? You might as well say okay, because that wasn't really a question. We're getting pizza."

"Okay," Remus laughed.

"Can I ask you one more thing?" Sirius asked. Upon receiving a nod, he let out a sharp breath. "How does he know you're gay? I mean, does he actually know or is he just saying that stuff to be a jerk?"

Remus let out a laugh and rubbed his nose. "He knows that I'm gay. I didn't sit them down and have a coming out speech or anything, it was an accident. I used to work at Ollivander's Lumber Yard before I got the job at Antonio's and one day, Jeffrey decides he wants to fix our back fence. This was last summer, so he comes up to the yard, walks around the plywood and...sees me."

"Sees you what?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"Don't give me that look. We were just kissing, but it was enough to set him off." Remus began laughing again. "It was a riot, he started screaming, raising all sorts of hell about it. He goes inside and thinks that he's gonna get Cam's dad pissed off, too. Mitch _threw_ him out. It was great. Mitch is a big fucking guy, he had Jeffrey cowering in the parking lot."

"So the guy you were with, your ex, his dad worked there?"

"Yeah, well sorta. Cam's dad owns the lumber yard. Mitch and Cameron Ollivander. That's why I worked there since I was twelve. That's also why I don't work there now. Couldn't see him every day. It woulda drove me crazy." Remus sighed quietly and looked back out of the window.

* * *

James was standing outside of the ladies bathroom at the movie theatre in Godric's Hollow. He was leaning against the wall watching people walk by, scanning for familiar faces. He couldn't help but smirk when he spotted the recognizable Regulus. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a Skittle, then launched it three feet and hit the side of the boy's head.

Regulus' hand jumped to the spot where he had been hit and he spun around, his eyes instantly falling on James. In a period of about five seconds, his face went from anger, to dawning realization and settled on fear. He swallowed hard and dropped the hand of the girl next to him.

James' eyes lit up and he took a step towards Regulus. "Oh, my. I do believe I've just seen something that I shouldn't have. Now, I might not pay much attention to Lupo, but last I checked, he wasn't a blonde...or a girl." He licked his lips and beamed with power.

Regulus rubbed roughly at his eyes and shook his head. Brittney, the girl who's hand he was holding, took a step away and gave James a small wave. James waved back and pulled out his phone. He started scrolling through the names with an eager grin.

Regulus snatched the phone from his hand and stared at him with wide eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Well, once I get my phone back, I'm going to call Lupo and tell him that I am staring at his boyfriend, who appears to be on a date." James smirked and reached for his phone.

Regulus pulled the phone out of his reach and shook his head. He held up his hand and was about to resort to begging when another girl entered the picture.

Amelia walked up and took James' hand. She looked up at him and smiled, noticed Regulus and promptly dropped her hand. Regulus smiled and handed James his phone back, slowly.

"Here you go, Potter. You go ahead and call Remus and tell him how you caught me out with someone else while you were out...with someone else." A sneaky smile crossed Regulus' face and he tilted his head with amusement. "Is there really a need to go into the 'you tell, I tell' details of this?"

James frowned and shook his head.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Jerks. They're all jerks. Jeffrey is a jerk, James is a jerk, Regulus is a jerk. Cam's a jerk too, but you'll see that for yourself later on. Will either boy rat out the other or will they hold their bond? Find out later. Thanks for reading. :D –Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP on the HPFF forums.**


	12. Damn Girl

**Chapter 12: Damn Girl**

**.**

Sirius laughed loudly as he and Remus pulled into the parking lot of The Burrow, a small sandwich shop in South Lake. Remus leaned forward and turned off the truck.

"I can't believe you've never been here, it's great," Remus said as they neared the door.

"I don't really come down to South Lake often. I've never had a reason to before I met you." Sirius lowered his head to hide the flush rising to his cheeks. He held the door open for an older couple and nodded for Remus to go through.

"Remus! Damn, where have you been?" A boy in an apron bearing the logo for the restaurant cried out. He took Remus' hand, giving him a small grab snap handshake that guys are so accustom to. "Word around is that you've been hanging out with some of those snobby ass kids you go to school with, the jerks around West Lake."

Remus cleared his throat uncomfortably and cut his eyes over towards Sirius.

"Oh! Sorry man," the boy said, giving Sirius an awkward smile.

"Frank! Get back to work!" a man's voice called from the kitchen.

Frank jumped slightly and smiled at Remus. "I'll talk to you in a bit. I get a break in an hour, don't leave." He clapped him on the back and darted away.

Sirius quietly led the way to a booth near the back. He started to sit down, but Remus grabbed his arm. He looked back and Remus smiled nervously.

"Can I sit on this side?" Remus asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, sure," Sirius answered. He dropped into the other side of the booth and grabbed the menu from the table. His eyes moved around the small shop, taking in the decorations and the people. He noticed, as his eyes moved over one boy, that he was being stared at. He raised his eyebrows and the offending boy turned away.

"Did you decide?" Remus asked, pulling his attention back.

When Sirius turned back, he realized there was a girl waiting for their order. "Uh, just give me what he ordered," he said, pointing to Remus. He leaned forward on the table and cut his eyes back over to the boy who had been staring. Once again, the boy was looking at him, this time with an angry look on his face.

"Fuck, Sirius, are you even listening to me?" Remus asked, reaching over and prodding Sirius in the arm with his finger.

"Yeah. No, sorry," Sirius spit out, turning his attention back to Remus. "I'm trying to, it's just that guy over there keeps staring at me."

Remus didn't bother turning around to look. "The one in the green shirt? That guy's a jerk, just don't look at him." He gave Sirius a big smile and thanked the girl as she brought their drinks.

After about five minutes of chit chat, their food arrived. Sirius was making an effort not to look over at the boy, who had upgraded his stares to glares. He was taken aback when a tall girl with long black hair, streaked with bright pink, walked up behind Remus and covered his eyes with her hands. Rather than speak, the girl simply leaned over, put her mouth near his ear and let out a soft meow.

Remus smiled and put his hands over her hands. "I thought you were going to your grandparent's for the summer," he said as he pulled her hands down. He scooted over and pulled her into the booth next to him.

"I don't leave until tomorrow morning," the girl said in a very sweet tone. "Frank and I are going out when he gets off." She turned her attention to Sirius. "That is not your boyfriend," she said with authority. "So...you must be Sirius. I'm Alice." She smiled at him happily.

Sirius smiled back, but didn't speak. He glanced over at the boy once more and sighed. "Moony, he's glaring again," he said in an annoyed tone.

"Just ignore him," Remus said, casually. "Hop up a sec, Alice." Remus climbed out of the booth and looked down at Sirius. "I'll be right back."

Alice sat down as Remus walked away. She smiled at Sirius and snagged one of Remus' chips. "You're cute."

Sirius smirked and shook his head. "Not cute enough for Remus, clearly," he said, leaning forward and giving her a questioning look. "Is that why you just assumed that I wasn't the boyfriend?"

Alice giggled and shook her head. "I knew you weren't because he wasn't holding your hand when you came in. Remus is a hand holder, if he was dating you, he woulda been holding your hand for certain." She smiled warmly, tilted her head and took another chip. "It's Cameron."

"What do you mean it's Cameron?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrow at Alice.

"That's cute, that eyebrow thing. No wonder...ah, never mind. The guy that keeps staring at you. That's Cameron. I'd imagine that he's wondering if you're the boyfriend or the best friend." She turned towards Cameron and gave him a small wave, then turned back to Sirius.

"Well, someone tell him that I'm just the friend, that way he'll quit staring," Sirius snorted.

"Wouldn't matter, either way, he'd still glare at you." Alice snagged another chip from Remus' basket and leaned forward on the table. When Sirius gave her another confused look, she sighed. "I mean because you're his replacement either way. Cameron was his best friend before they started dating. They were inseparable since like, Kindergarten. That's why it was really hard when they split, for both of them." She gave a sad smile and cast an analyzing look over Sirius.

"When, um...when did they break up? I've been curious, but I can tell that it really bugs Moony to talk about it. Remus, I mean." Sirius put his hand in front of his face to block his view of Cameron.

Alice licked her lips and took a drink from Remus' glass. "It was right after Thanksgiving."

Remus walked up behind Alice and cleared his throat. She looked up guiltily and scooted over so he could sit down. Remus gave her an annoyed look and she smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, hun, he asked. I didn't know you were listening." Alice gave a little pout.

Remus smiled and shook his head at her. He looked down at his basket then back at Alice. "Thief," he said with a laugh. He pushed the basket towards her and she grabbed another chip, winking at him.

Another half hour melted under them as the three chatted. Frank walked over and squatted beside the table.

"Remus, I was just gonna tell you that it's fifteen 'till and Marlene is coming in at two." Frank gave him a tight smile and stood up as Remus did. "I'll call you tomorrow, man. We'll hit up the batting cages soon."

Remus nodded and signaled for Sirius to follow him. They said their goodbyes and headed for the door. Sirius glared right back at Cameron as the boy watched them leave with an angry look on his face. As they neared the truck, they passed a girl their own age, who was _very_ pregnant. She hung her head as she passed Remus and walked into the shoppe. Sirius watched through the window as the girl walked up to Cameron and the two instantly began what appeared to be an argument.

They rode in silence for a while until Sirius sighed heavily and shifted in his seat. Remus glanced over and smiled. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing." Sirius stared out of the window for a bit, his hand over his mouth. He shifted again and let out another sigh. "So...Alice is nice. Kinda giggly, but nice. Why haven't you ever mentioned her before? Afraid I'd hit on her?"

"I have," Remus said with a smirk. "Just not by name. Alice is the _one girl _that I've been with."

Sirius jerked his head towards Remus and stared in awe. "Fuck, Moony! You have nice taste for a gay guy."

Remus laughed quietly and focused on taking the correct exit. It was silent again until Sirius let out another heavy sigh.

"Damn it, Sirius. What is wrong with you?" Remus asked, annoyed.

"Okay, so...seeing that guy kinda confused me a little bit, is all." Sirius stared down at his hands in his lap.

"Cam? What confused you about him?" Remus asked, trying to sound light.

"Well, looking at the guy, he reminded me of Regulus. The khakis and the button up shirts and the over gelled hair and that annoying _I'm better than you_ smile. That just doesn't seem like your type." Sirius continued to avoid looking at Remus.

"Why would you say that?" Remus asked with a smirk as they pulled onto Sirius' street.

"Look at you! You're wearing a SpongeBob tee-shirt and jeans with holes in the back pockets. How can you go for that 'hours in front of the mirror' type?" Sirius scowled at Remus as they pulled into the driveway.

Remus let out a quiet laugh as he parked and turned off the truck. "I hear that a lot, actually. I've just always gone for...pretty boys." He shrugged and licked his lips. "Can't help where your eyes go. After all, I'm sure that you haven't been intentionally looking at my ass today."

Sirius looked over at Remus with wide eyes. "I have not been doing that!"

"Then how do you know there are holes in my back pockets?" Remus asked with a smirk.

Sirius opened his mouth and found himself speechless. Remus raised his eyebrows, giving him a smug smile. Sirius scoffed and folded his arms over his chest while turning his face away.

"Shut up, Moony."

* * *

James stared into a pair of emerald eyes and smiled. He extended his hand and held it in front of Lily's face. Clutched between his thumb and forefinger was a thin, silver ring inlaid with three tiny sapphires. Lily's eyes widened and James laid his other hand on her cheek.

"It's a promise ring. I was going to wait for your birthday, but I decided that I wanted it to be special on its own." James picked up Lily's right hand and slipped the ring onto her ring finger.

Lily threw her arms around James' neck and hugged herself to him tightly. "This is the sweetest thing ever!" She wiped a tear away and pulled back to look into James' eyes. "I love you so much. This is just so..." She broke away into tears and pressed her face into his neck.

James rubbed his hands over Lily's back and pushed his face into her hair. "I love you too, Lily. I know that things have been a bit off between us lately and I don't want it to stay that way. I've been acting like a jerk and I can tell that it's been bugging you."

Lily shook her head and snorted a laugh into James' neck. She pulled away and smiled. "No offense, James, but you've always been kind of a jerk. I don't care about that. You were that way when I met you."

"Then what is it? I know something has been bothering you. Just tell me so that I can fix it. Please." James stared into her eyes and took her hands into his own.

Lily cut her eyes away and sighed. "The problem is... I have been hearing some things about you. Around school and well, since summer, there was this girl at Honeydukes the other day... You know, it isn't important." She looked back into his eyes.

"What kind of things? What are people saying about me, Lily?" James bat his eyes and spoke in a sweet, innocent tone.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: So, there he is, Cam. Frank and Alice, so sweet together. Frank will be in the story again soon, but don't count on seeing Alice for a while. Isn't she the cutest? :D –Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	13. Can't Take It

**Chapter 13: Can't Take It**

**.**

Remus was doing his best to tune out the music that was coming from Regulus' stereo as the two of them laid on the bed. He tried to focus on Regulus instead. He brushed his hand over the boy's stomach under his shirt, and leaned over for a kiss. He pressed hard against his lips and shifted against him.

Regulus gave a quiet moan into the kiss and grabbed Remus' hand. He pulled his lips away and smiled. "Careful, you're gonna get me worked up doing that."

Remus raised his eyebrows and moved his head to Regulus' neck. He kissed him softly, twice and moved his lips to his ear. "Maybe, I'm trying to get you worked up," he whispered, grazing his teeth over his earlobe, gently.

Regulus shuddered and closed his eyes. "What about five months?" he asked, his words strained.

"Close enough," Remus answered. He lifted away and looked down at Regulus with a smile.

Remus brushed his fingertips over the buttons on Regulus' shirt and started undoing them, teasingly slow. Regulus squirmed underneath him and made a pained face. He let out a sharp breath as Remus pushed his shirt from his shoulders. He reached up and pulled Remus onto his lips. His hands grabbed the hem of Remus' shirt, but they were batted away. He frowned, but didn't push.

"Wait," Regulus whispered. He pushed Remus to the side and sat up. "I can't do this, I have to tell you something."

Remus shook his head and moved in front of Regulus. "You don't have to tell me anything. Just lay down." He breathed heavily and pushed his lips against Regulus'. He kissed him hard, forcing him to lay back on the bed. His hands ran down his bare chest and hooked into the top of his pants.

Regulus whimpered and he lifted his hips to press against Remus. He put one arm around his waist and dug his fingers into his back. The other hand, he moved to the back of Remus' neck, holding him against his lips. After a moment, he let out a whine and pulled away from the kiss. "Remus," he said, his words fighting to escape. "I really have to tell you something. Please."

Remus growled lowly and pressed his lips hard against Regulus' neck. "It isn't important. Stop talking." He pulled the button loose on Regulus' pants and slid down the zipper.

"It is important," Regulus cried out. His body strained up against Remus and his hands grasped desperately at him. He closed his eyes and let out a ragged breath as Remus' lips moved across his collar bone. "Remus, I have to tell you. I can't do this if I don't."

Remus pushed his hands into the boy's pants and stared into his eyes. "Regulus, just shut up, okay? Just...shut up." He gave him a stern look and brought his lips down, kissing him fiercely.

Regulus breathed heavily as they kissed and reached forward, unhooking Remus' jeans. He pushed against the top of them, lowering them to his hips. "No," he said, trying to speak with Remus' lips still against his. "I have to tell you." He tried to push against Remus' chest.

"Shut up," Remus growled. He covered his mouth with his own and pushed down on Regulus' pants, forcing them down to his knees and exposing his boxers.

Regulus whimpered under him and tried to pull his lips away, but couldn't. His lifted his hips against Remus, his body betraying his mind. He reached up with one hand and grabbed a fistful of Remus' hair. He pulled, hard, dragging the boy's lips away from his just enough to speak. "I cheated on you," he whispered. Tears instantly sprang to his eyes and he choked on his breath.

"Fuck!" Remus cried out. He pushed off of Regulus and sat up. He lifted his hands and pressed his palms to his eyes.

Regulus lifted his body and pulled his pants back around his waist. He sat up and pulled his knees against his chest. He lowered his head and let the tears pour from his eyes. He opened his mouth, but couldn't find any words.

Remus shook his head and stood up. He buttoned his pants and angrily flung Regulus' shirt at him. Regulus grabbed his arm and climbed off of the bed. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

"Remus, please, don't leave. I wanna fix this. I'm so sorry and I know it was a stupid mistake." Regulus' words were desperate and strained.

"Yeah, you did make a mistake." Remus nodded and looked down into his eyes, coldly. "Why couldn't you just shut up when I told you to? Huh?" He pulled his arm away and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Remus wiped frantically at his eyes, determined not to let the tears that were stinging fall. As he neared the front door, he felt a hand wrap around his wrist and pull him to a stop. He spun around, angrily, assuming it was Regulus, and pulled his hand out of the grip. He let out a sharp breath and turned his face away when he saw that it was Sirius.

"Moony, what in the hell is wrong with you?" Sirius asked, his voice sounding panicked. He grabbed Remus by the shoulder and tried to make him face him.

"Nothing," Remus whispered, trying to pull away.

"Nothing, my ass. Your eyes are red and you're shaking." Sirius put his hands on the sides of Remus' face and forced him to look at him. "Oh shit. You...you just broke up, didn't you?"

Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, grabbed Sirius' wrists and pulled his hands away. He reached for the door but Sirius grabbed his hand and pulled him from the entryway towards the back door. Remus jerked at his hand, but Sirius kept a tight grip on it. He led him out of the back door, across the back yard and into the guest house. He pushed him inside and closed the door behind them.

"Sirius, I don't wanna hang out right now. I just wanna go home and be alone," Remus sighed. He reached for the door, but Sirius swatted his hand.

"Give me thirty seconds to change your mind." Sirius locked their eyes and smiled when he received a nod. He rushed into the small kitchen and opened a cabinet. He pulled down a large bottle of tequila and sat it on the counter. He pointed at it and raised his eyebrows at Remus.

Remus grazed his teeth over his bottom lip and dropped his head. A slow smirk came to his lips and he nodded. "Okay, you changed my mind."

Sirius clapped his hands together and gave a small, happy leap. He grabbed the bottle and two glasses. He nodded for Remus to follow him and the boys dropped onto one of the couches. Sirius passed Remus a glass and opened the bottle.

They drank in silence until half of the bottle was missing. Sirius reached over and sloppily refilled Remus' glass. He snorted a laugh as he almost missed and Remus had to move his glass to keep from getting soaked.

"What-what did the li-little idiot do?" Sirius slurred.

Remus groaned and laid his head over on the back of the couch. He drained his glass and looked over at Sirius. "He cheated."

Sirius' jaw dropped in shock and he let out an incoherent string of profanities. He shook his head and scowled. "He's an idiot. He's such an idiot!"

"They always cheat," Remus whined. He pulled his feet up on the couch and curled himself up.

Sirius pulled Remus' shoes off and pat him on the head softly. "D-did that bastard, _Cameron_, cheat on you?"

Remus choked on a cough and nodded. He wiped at his eyes and held out his glass. He swallowed back another shot and made a strained face. "We had one fight. W-we were together for almost...almost two years and had one fight." He stuck up his finger and waggled it in the air. He climbed up on his knees and sat on his feet. "One stupid fight and he runs off and gets that bitch pregnant." He flung his arm out and his glass dropped from his hand, hitting the floor with a thud. He leaned against the back of the couch and pouted. "That bitch took advantage of him. _Marlene_," he sneered her name and wiped at his eyes.

"Wh-what did you fight about?" Sirius took a drink from the bottle and pressed it into Remus' hands.

Remus took a long drink and frowned. "It was my fault." He pointed at himself and leaned forward. "He just wanted me to do something that I just couldn't do and we fought about it." He took another long drink and handed the bottle back.

"What did he want you to do?" Sirius asked, taking a drink and laying his hand over Remus'.

Remus tilted his head and pulled his hand away. "He...he wanted me to...to say I-I...I love you. I couldn't do it, though." He let out a shaking sob and leaned against Sirius.

Sirius put his arm around Remus' shoulders and rubbed his arm. "That's b-because you don't...don't believe in love." He shook his head and shifted Remus to look at him. "You will someday, I know it. You just gotta find the right guy." He pat Remus on the head again and nodded.

Remus pointed at the bottle and Sirius handed it to him. He took a long drink and handed it back again. "Find the right guy that won't cheat on me." He leaned against Sirius again and closed his eyes.

Sirius drank the last of the bottle and let it drop to the floor. "I hate cheaters," he mumbled. "You-you should date with me, I'd...I'd never never ever cheat on you, Moony. Nope, never ever. I'd be the best boyfriend ever." He nodded and leaned his head against Remus'.

"There's only one problem there," Remus said with a laugh. He put his arm around Sirius' waist and pressed his face into his shoulder. "Yo-you're straight."

Sirius laughed and shifted them both so that they were laying down on the couch. He put his arm under Remus and held the boy's arm over his stomach. "I forgot about that part," he whispered.

Remus laughed and nuzzled into Sirius' side. "That's funny. Most guys don't forget that kind of thing." He closed his eyes and they lay there quietly for a while.

"What if I wasn't?" Sirius whispered, hesitantly.

"What if you wasn't what?" Remus asked, his voice tired and broken.

"What if I wasn't straight? Wh-what if I was if I-I was not straight. Would you want me then?" Sirius asked. When he received silence in response, he sighed. "You always fall asleep before me," he mumbled. He sighed again and turned his face to look at Remus. He put his face against his hair and breathed in. "No, I'd imagine you wouldn't. You-you like the pretty boys. I remember, you said it. You said, I've always liked pretty boys. I'm not a pretty boy. I'm-I'm like you."

Sirius reached up and pushed a strand of hair out of his face. He frowned and pulled a bit in front of his eyes. He stuck his tongue out at the strand of hair and tossed it back. "It's-it's my hair, isn't it, Moony? My hair is all wild and-and not...pretty. You don't want a guy with not pretty hair. I-I could, I could..." He licked his lips and chewed on the bottom one for a moment. "I could cut it. I would for you, Moony. I'd cut it off and it would be pretty too." He closed his eyes and felt tears stinging them.

Remus shifted and pressed his face into Sirius' neck. "Don't cut your hair, Sirius," he whispered. "D-don't ever cut it off. It's not pretty. It's better than pretty. It's so much better than pretty. It just, it's stuck on a straight guy."

Sirius let out a sharp breath. He had goosebumps running over his body, caused by Remus' breath on his neck. "Maybe...maybe I'm not straight, Moony." He reached up and wiped his hand across his nose. "I don't know anymore, because I want you, Moony. I want you and that doesn't sound too straight to me."

Remus let out a long breath. "You only want me when you're drunk, Sirius. You're straight, you just can't hold your liquor." He rolled over and pulled away from Sirius to face the back of the couch.

Sirius slid onto the floor and sat down with his back against the couch. He pulled his knees to his chest and dropped his face against them. He let his tears soak the knees of his jeans. "That isn't true, Moony," he whispered. "I always want you. I want you so much it hurts me. I don't know why I can't tell you when I'm sober, but I'm in love with you, Moony." He wiped his face and looked over at the buzzing cell phone on the couch.

Sirius picked up the phone, assuming it fell out of Remus' pocket. He couldn't stop himself from looking at the text when he saw it was from his brother.

**R. Black to R. Lupin: I swear I can make it up to you. I am SORRY! I swear we didn't have sex, it wasn't like that. Can we please talk when you are sober again? PLEASE? I AM SORRY!**

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Told you Cam was a jerk :D What do you think of Sirius' drunken confession of love? Is it real or is it like Remus thinks, he just can't hold his liquor? Thanks for reading so far. :D –Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	14. Change Your Mind

**Chapter 14: Change Your Mind**

**.**

The smell of stale popcorn filled the small theatre. James, Lily, Sirius and Remus made their way across the aisle, their shoes sticking to the floor slightly from overturned sodas during the previous show. It was already dark and into the previews when they selected the seats they wanted. Luckily, for them, it was pretty empty so they were able to sit together. They all had drinks, but rather than go for popcorn, they had opted to get dinner after the show.

Sirius was having trouble keeping his focus on the movie. His eyes kept wandering down to the hand that was resting on the armrest. Twenty minutes into the movie, he couldn't stand it anymore. He moved quickly, afraid that he would chicken out, and dropped his hand onto Remus'. Remus frowned and pulled his hand down onto his leg. Sirius gaped at his now-lonely hand and pushed up the armrest between the seats.

Sirius took a deep breath and reached over, placing his hand on top of Remus' once again. Remus sighed and frowned in frustration. He reached over, not taking his eyes from the screen, grabbed Sirius' hand by the wrist and moved it over, dropping into his own lap. Sirius stared hard at Remus, annoyed that he wouldn't look at him. He reached over and grabbed Remus' hand again, holding onto it tightly.

Remus pulled at his hand, but couldn't get it out of Sirius' grip. He turned towards Sirius and pushed his arm away, roughly, successfully freeing his hand. "Stop it," he hissed quietly. He folded his arms over his chest and focused back on the screen.

Sirius shifted angrily in his seat and stared at Remus. He scooted over and put his hand on Remus' arm. He tugged on it, trying to free the boy's hand. Upon receiving a glare from Remus, he let out a huff. "What's your problem?" he whispered. "I thought you were gay."

Remus turned his head and looked at Sirius with an annoyed face. "I am," he whispered, frowning at him.

Sirius shifted closer to Remus and leaned his head over next to his. "Then what's the problem, Moony?" he whispered, running his hand over Remus' arm.

Remus tensed his entire body and closed his eyes. "You aren't," he hissed.

Sirius scooted even closer to Remus and brought his lips next to his ear. "Don't be so stubborn," he whispered. He ran his hand over Remus' arm again and dropped it onto his leg. "Just give me a chance."

Remus let out a sharp breath and pushed Sirius' hand off of him. He sprang from his seat and quickly pushed past James and Lily. Sirius got up and followed Remus as he tore from the theatre and into the lobby. He caught Remus by his upper arm just as he was about to exit the building. He pulled him from the door and pushed him back against the wall, holding him by his shoulders.

"Remus, what the hell? Why are you acting like this? Is -" Sirius cut himself off and swallowed hard. He tried to look into Remus' eyes but the boy was focused on the ground. He dropped his hands and took a step back. "Is it me? Are you just...not interested in me?"

Remus looked up at Sirius, his face a mix of anger, shock and hurt. He tightened his lips and took a few deep breaths through his nose. He licked his lips and dropped his head. "You know, I can take this when you're drunk. I get it then, I'm prepared for it. I can shut out your advances and keep it from hurting, but now...now..." He put one hand in his hair and pulled at it, while turning his body away from Sirius. "Now you're just being cruel." He shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I'm being cruel?" Sirius cried out, shoving his palm against Remus' shoulder. "You're the one who shoved me away and ran out of the theatre like a girl."

"Well, _excuse_ me if I don't like being hit on by straight guys," Remus sneered. He flung his hands out and growled in frustration.

Sirius let out an angry sigh and grabbed the front of Remus' shirt with both hands. He shoved Remus back against the wall and stared into his eyes, his face pained and angry. "You stubborn bastard! How many times do I have to tell you that I don't think I'm straight?"

Remus grabbed Sirius' wrist and stared down at him. "Just once would be plenty if you ever said it sober."

"I'm sober now. You've been with me all day and I haven't touched any alcohol. I'm sober and I'm telling you...I can't stop thinking about you." Sirius let go of Remus' shirt and took a step away from him. He stared down at the floor and leaned his shoulder against the wall. "I can't get you out of my head. I've tried, I really have. Every date I go on, I'm comparing her to you in my head. When you stay over, sometimes my pillows...they smell like you and I hate when it fades away. I th-" He took a deep breath and drug his hand roughly through his hair. "I sit there and try to come up with reason that I can call you or text you and I rack my brain for reasons to see you." He let out a sharp breath and shook his head. "At first..."

Sirius took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "At first, I just figured it was because you're really cool and you feel more like a best friend to me than James ever has. But then...geez, then...I-I started having these inappropriate dreams. I was a little freaked out the first time, but then I kept catching my mind replaying it during the day and I would be sitting there, smiling like an idiot and..." He looked up at Remus and made a strained face, desperate for him to speak.

Remus stared down at Sirius as he spoke. He couldn't will himself to move, think or hardly even breathe. When Sirius looked up at him, he let out a shaking breath. His eyes were confused and thrilled, but mostly confused. He bit down on his bottom look and shifted his weight between his feet. He hooked the thumb of one hand into his pocket and rubbed rubbed the other over the back of his neck. "Wh...what kind of dreams?" he asked, nervously.

Sirius gaped at Remus in shock and let out a laugh. He shook his head and took the few steps needed to be right in front of Sirius. He looked up into his eyes and smirked arrogantly. "These kinds," he said, definitively.

Sirius reached forward and looped the fingers of one hand into the belt loop on the side of Remus' jeans. He pulled Remus against him and wound his other hand into the chest of his shirt. He looked up and grazed his teeth over his bottom lip, then parted his lips slightly and held his breath with anticipation.

Remus stared, wide eyed, down at Sirius, his breath hitched in his throat. He raised his hand to Sirius' on his chest and closed it around his wrist. He pushed his other hand into Sirius' hair and let out a sharp breath. "Do you have any idea how hot you look doing that?"

Sirius smiled softly and pushed into Remus. "If I look so hot, why aren't you kissing me?"

Remus sighed and closed his eyes. He leaned forward and put his forehead against Sirius'. "It's too soon," he whispered. "I need more time."

Sirius flung himself away from Remus and stormed towards the door. Remus caught him by the arm and spun him around. Sirius pulled out of his hold and turned to the door again. Remus stepped in front of him and held him by the shoulders.

"Sirius, where are you going?" Remus asked, fighting to keep the boy inside.

Sirius struggled against him a moment, then gave up and took a step back, glaring at Remus. "I'm going to get in my car, drive home and drink until I'm numb enough not to feel the sting from that rejection."

Remus sighed and took a step towards Sirius. "I didn't reject you."

"That isn't how it feels on my end," Sirius spat.

"Hey! Sirius, Lupo!" James called out as he stepped up behind Sirius. "You two fuck wads get in there and stop upsetting Lily on her birthday."

Sirius sneered at James, but didn't argue. He stormed back to his seat. James and Remus trialing closely behind. As he sat down, he pulled down the armrest between his and Remus' seats.

This time, it was Sirius sitting with his arms folded over his chest and his eyes locked angrily on the screen. Remus watched him with a pained face, desperate for Sirius to understand the problem. He leaned over and brought his lips next to Sirius' ear.

"I would never reject you, Sirius. I just need more time, please, understand that," Remus whispered. He closed his eyes and put his head on Sirius' shoulder.

Angry as he was, Sirius couldn't bring himself to push Remus away. He sat, unmoving instead, silently begging for the stinging in his eyes to go away.

As the movie ended and the lights came up, Sirius and Remus avoided looking at each other. The small group made their way across the street to Honeydukes and filed into a four top table. Just as they got settled and ordered, another small group entered the building.

Regulus and four of his friends poured into a near-by table. Regulus stared across at Remus and gave him a hopeful wave, which was ignored.

Sirius, who was sitting across from Remus, watched him closely. He saw how Remus refused to lift his gaze from the table, despite his face's betrayal of wanting to. He noticed how Remus refused to look at his phone, even after his text tone had gone off fourteen times while they ate. Most of all, he noticed the way that Remus' hand would occasionally flinch towards his own and the almost painful look on Remus' face every time he would pull his hand out of reach.

When the group reached the parking lot, James and Lily gave the others a quick goodbye and headed for James' car. Sirius and Remus walked in silence towards their vehicles. They reached Sirius' car first and stopped.

Sirius unlocked the door and turned towards Remus. He opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words he needed. Remus let out a heavy breath and walked away. Sirius leaned against his car and allowed a single tear to trail down his cheek. Remus' hand closed over his phone in his pocket and he almost pulled it out. He shook his head and turned around.

Remus hurried back to where Sirius was, relieved to still see him there. Sirius was opening the door to his car when he felt himself being grabbed around the waist and pulled back. Remus turned Sirius to face him and tightened one arm around his waist. He slipped his hand behind his neck and stared down into his eyes.

Sirius gasped quietly and grabbed the sides of Remus' shirt. Remus leaned forward and pressed his lips softly against Sirius'. They moved together, slowly, gently, both getting the feel for the other, adjusting to the shock of it. Sirius shifted and pressed harder into the kiss. He ran his tongue over Remus' bottom lip and let out a small moan as Remus pulled him closer against his body.

Their hands were shaking and their eyes were afraid to open as they moved their lips more fiercely against each other's. Desperate for air, they finally consented to the separation of their mouths. They held their positions and struggled for breath, their lips still close enough that they occasionally grazed together as they breathed. They looked into each other's eyes, still a bit overwhelmed.

Sirius smiled and swallowed hard. "I thought you needed time," he whispered as he dropped his hands and backed away slightly.

Remus laughed quietly and shrugged. "That over two hours ago. I guess I didn't need as much time as I thought."

Sirius laughed and reached up, brushing his fingers over his own lips. "Well," he said quietly. "At least I'm not confused anymore. I am definitely _not_ straight." He licked his lips and pulled Remus over to him. "Of course, I was already pretty sure that was the case when I spent twenty minutes of my last date telling her how perfect your eyes are." He closed his eyes and shook his head, not understanding why he was getting the overwhelming urge to let out a choked sob.

Remus sniffled and lifted Sirius' face to his. He brought his lips down into another kiss and wrapped his arms around him.

When the two finally separated, an hour later, Remus climbed back into his truck and tipped his head back onto his seat. He let out a contented sigh and deleted fourteen new text messages without a single glance at them.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: All together now... YAY! YAY! YAY! Remius at last! :D –Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	15. Dance Inside

**Chapter 15: Dance Inside**

**.**

The familiar crack of bats hitting followed by the metallic sound of the balls bouncing off the fences around the cage brought a smile to Remus' face as he and Frank signed the safety waivers at the batting cages. It had been at least ten months since Remus had been anywhere near the batting cages. Baseball had been something he had shared with Cam. Remus had felt his anxiety grow upon first arriving, but by the time Frank got there, the sensation disappeared. It was replaced with an almost giddy excitement at the thought of swinging a bat again.

"Strike two, Lupin!" Frank yelled, teasingly from outside of the cage as Remus missed his first two balls from the pitching machine.

Remus turned back and gave a fake laugh. "Shut up. I'm just out of practice, I'll warm up." Another swing and a miss left him feeling annoyed with himself.

Frank stepped into the cage next to Remus' and hit his first three slow pitches dead on center. He smiled gloatingly at Remus and shook his shoulders. "Don't pout, Remus. Just hit the damn ball."

Remus rolled his eyes and twirled his bat around in his hand. He took his stance, concentrating on the proper form, and smiled when the light came on. His bat cut through the air with an audible swoosh and smacked against the ball so loudly that passers-by jumped at the sound. The ball hit loudly against the back of the cage and Remus jumped. "Ha!"

Frank laughed quietly and turned his attention back to his own pitching machine. He missed more balls than he hit, mostly due to nerves over the tiny crowd that was forming around the cage watching Remus.

Remus was in the zone, not even noticing that anyone was watching him or hearing the cheers every time he made the earsplitting crack. He kept turning the dial up to make the pitching speed faster, enjoying the rush he got each time the light came on the machine. His face was set hard, his focus, unyielding. Despite the seemingly angry facial expression, he was dancing inside of his head. He jokingly bunted the last ball, sending it rolling onto the ground in front of him, and let out a joyful hoot. He turned to Frank, beaming, and stepped out of the cage.

"You still got it," a voice called out from behind Remus.

Remus turned, his smile unwavering, to face Cameron. "Yeah, I do," he said, more arrogance in his voice than he had ever allowed before.

Cameron smiled softly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Good thing Coach Wood wasn't here to see that. He's still peeved that you aren't playing this year," he said nervously, squinting at the sun.

Coach Wood was the coach for South Lake's team in the summer baseball league. South Lake had gone undefeated the previous three years, the years Remus had played. This year, he hadn't joined up and the team was already out of the running for the season's win.

Remus nodded and pulled off his batting helmet. He ran his fingers down his hair to straighten it. "I know. He came by Antonio's before the season started and twice since."

"Why, um...why didn't you join up this year?" Cameron asked, crossing his arms and shifting his weight.

Remus licked his lips and looked at the ground, trying to resist the urge to shout a string of profanities at Cameron. "No time," he answered. "I'm working two jobs plus taking that class over at the community college. I'm lucky I got today completely free to come out here."

Cameron nodded and shifted again. "So, I noticed you're here alone." He held his hand up when Remus glanced towards Frank. "I don't mean Longbottom over there, he's your buddy. I mean...your boyfriend isn't...I don't see him here."

Remus snorted and shook his head. He glanced down at his watch then up at Cameron. "No, it's only ten thirty. I'd imagine he'll be waking up in about an hour." He grinned at the thought and hung his helmet up in the correct area. He put his bat into the proper return and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Cameron followed Remus over to Frank's cage to watch him finish up. "So, this new guy, I hear he's...different." He put his fingers into the cage and held on, resting against it.

"If by _different _you mean great, then yes, he is very different." Remus watched as Frank missed his last two balls and grumbled all the way to the returns area.

Cameron opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind and quickly snapped it shut, letting out a sigh. As Remus started to walk away, he grabbed his arm. "Wait." He dropped his arm and took a deep breath. "I miss you. I don't just mean as my boyfriend either, I miss being friends."

Remus narrowed his eyes in thought and let out a sharp breath. "I do too, to be honest."

"So, do you think we could try to be friends again?" Cameron asked, hope showing in his eyes.

"No," Remus answered, bluntly. "I miss being friends with you, Cam, but that doesn't mean that I can be friends with you again. Look, I have a really good thing going, actually, I have a fantastic thing going and you...you just don't fit in my life anymore." He reached out and clapped Cameron on the shoulder. "It was good to catch up, I'll see you around sometime. Maybe." He smiled weakly at him and crossed over to where Frank was waiting for him.

"What did the jerk want?" Frank asked, falling into step with Remus as they headed towards the parking lot.

"Nothing important, he was just talking." Remus walked with Frank over to his car. "You're off all day too, right? We should drive into the Hollow and have lunch at N.E.W.T.s, I'm in the mood for barbeque."

"That sounds great," Frank said with a smile. "Alright, I'm gonna shower then I'll swing by your place in about an hour. Meet me out by the mailbox."

"Works for me." Remus smiled and turned towards his truck.

"Hey! You can invite Sirius if you want to, the guy's pretty cool." Frank smiled widely and hopped into his car.

Remus settled into his truck and pulled out his phone. He sent a text to Sirius, hoping he was awake.

**R. Lupin to S. Black: Wake up! Get yourself dressed. We will be there in 90. NEWTS for lunch?**

Sirius groaned as he heard his phone go off. He had been awake for about twenty minutes, but didn't want to leave the comfort of his blankets. He pulled the phone to his face and smiled as he read. He sent back a quick answer and jumped out of bed. A shower was just what he needed to kick him into gear. He whistled happily as he made his way downstairs, fully dressed and ready for some coffee.

"You're awfully perky. It isn't even noon yet," Regulus sneered as Sirius stepped into the kitchen.

Sirius smiled as the two housekeepers made a mad dash to get out of the room. "I'm very perky," he said, pouring his coffee. "I'm going out with Moony and one of his friends for lunch."

Regulus rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath.

"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you." Sirius raised one eyebrow and gave his brother a cocky smile.

"I said you're pathetic," Regulus growled. "Six months ago, you were just...disgusted that I wanted him and now, you're locking yourself away with him doing who knows what."

"Would you like to know what we do when I lock my door?" The two of them had yet to move past kissing, but Sirius couldn't resist a chance to make his brother squirm.

"Whatever it is, I did it with him first." Regulus raised his eyebrows and smirked.

Sirius frowned at his plan's backfire. "Yeah, well I'm doing it now," he said, ashamed of his pathetic comeback. "You'll never be doing it again."

Regulus huffed and ran his tongue over his teeth. "We'll see about that."

Sirius barked out a laugh. "You honestly think that he would ever get back with you? What a joke." He leaned his face towards his brother's and smirked. "You're delusional. The only reason he wanted you begin with was because he couldn't have me."

Regulus smiled, seeming unphased by his brother's words. "You think so? The way I see it, he's only with you to get even with me."

Sirius laughed again, though this time, less sure. "What do you care?" he asked, not wanting to continue with a fight that he wasn't confident in winning. "If you wanted him so much, you shouldn't have cheated on him." He grimaced at the younger boy.

"You don't know anything about that," Regulus spat.

"I know what Moony told me and that's all I need to know," Sirius hissed.

Regulus scowled at Sirius and shook his head. "Stop saying that. You know...he doesn't like it when you call him Moony." He smiled arrogantly.

"Liar!" Sirius yelled, slamming his coffee cup onto the counter, sloshing it out onto the surface. He wiped his hand off on the back of his jeans and stormed from the kitchen.

* * *

After lunch that day, the boys had all gone to the theatre for two early movies, hit up the arcade, had dinner and drove back to Sirius' house to drop him off. It only took one try to get Remus to agree to get Remus to stay there and let Sirius drive him home later. After a quick goodbye to Frank, they headed upstairs to Sirius' room.

Sirius turned on his stereo and grabbed Remus' hand, pulling him down onto the bed with him. He pushed him flat against it and laid next to him, propping himself up on his elbow and slipping his other arm around Remus' waist. He brought his lips down and kissed him gently. Remus pushed one hand into Sirius' hair and pulled him down harder.

Sirius gave a small moan into the kiss and shifted his body to lay over Remus. He pushed his hips down into him and Remus lifted against him in return. Remus wrapped one arm around Sirius' back and dragged his fingers down his back, letting out a quiet whimper. Sirius pulled his lips away and smiled down at him.

"I like that sound. I just made you whimper. Do it again, it was hot," Sirius said, grinding his hips against Remus'.

Remus flushed red and twisted his fingers into Sirius' hair. "I can't just do it," he said, arching his back slightly. "You have to make me do it."

Sirius gave a nervous laugh and slipped one arm underneath Remus around his waist. He tangled their legs together and ran his fingertips over Remus' lips. "I have to make you do it? Very well, then," he whispered.

Remus smiled and pursed his lips expectantly, but Sirius lowered his lips onto his neck instead. He moved his lips gently over Remus' neck and pulled down on his shirt collar to kiss across his collarbone. Remus closed his eyes and held his breath, straining his fingertips into Sirius' sides. Sirius pressed his body harder against Remus' and ran his tongue over the boy's neck.

Remus pushed his head back hard against the mattress and pressed his lips tightly together. His whole body was squirming, but he was fighting the sound. Sirius gave a small, aggressive growl and sunk his teeth into Remus' neck. Remus' eyes snapped open and he let out a loud whimper. Sirius smiled at his victory and ran his tongue over where he had just bitten Remus.

Sirius moved his mouth back onto Remus' and kissed him fiercely. He ran his hands down his sides and grazed his teeth over the boy's bottom lip. He pushed one hand under the hem of Remus' shirt and traced his finger up his side. As his fingers moved towards his chest, Remus stopped kissing him and pulled his hand away, giving him a firm stare.

"Don't." Remus stared hard into Sirius' eyes and let out a sharp breath. "Just don't touch my bare chest, alright, I really don't like it."

"Okay, Moony," Sirius whispered. "I won't do it again, I promise." He smiled down at him affectionately. "I wanna ask you something. Do you not...do you like it when I call you Moony?"

Remus smiled up at Sirius, his face confused. "Of course I do. I adore it when you call me that."

Sirius gave a relieved sigh. "I knew that," he said, arrogantly, and lowered his head for another kiss.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Send me some love. Or hate. Either way, I wanna know what you think of the chapter. Remus doesn't like his chest touched and Regulus is so sure that things aren't completely over with him and Remus. Wonder how all of that will play out. :D –Jenna**

**Now beta'd by ANP on the HPFF forums.**


	16. The Wind Blows

**Chapter 16: The Wind Blows**

**.**

Sirius pushed up the armrest between his and Remus' seats as they sat down in the back row of the theatre. He smiled over at Remus and laced their fingers together. Remus smiled back and squeezed his hand. Ten minutes into the movie, Sirius looked over at Remus and smirked.

Sirius leaned into Remus' arm and pressed his lips to his neck. Remus smiled as Sirius kissed him several times. He cut his eyes over and gave him a warning look before pushing him away and turning his attention back to the movie. Sirius grinned and advanced again. He pulled their hands apart and laid his on Remus leg before kissing his neck again.

Remus turned to face Sirius fully. "Two can play that game," he whispered. He rubbed his hand up Sirius' leg and squeezed his inner thigh, then leaned forward and growled softly into his ear. He ran his tongue over his neck and sucked at it roughly, occasionally biting down.

Sirius squirmed and scooted down in his seat. He dug his hand into the armrest on his other side and lifted his hand to Remus' head. "Stop it, Moony," he whispered in a whine.

Remus smiled against Sirius' neck and tightened his grip on his leg. He brushed his lips against his ear. "What's wrong? You don't like this game anymore? You were the one that started it," he whispered. He grazed his teeth over Sirius' earlobe and raised his hand up, rubbing against the bulge in his jeans.

Sirius let out a ragged breath and turned his head to face Remus. Their eyes locked and hit bit his bottom lip. His entire body tensed at Remus' teasing. "You're killing me," he breathed out, squirming in his seat. "Moony, please..."

Remus cut his eyes towards the other two couples in the otherwise empty theatre and smirked. "Moony, please what?" he whispered into Sirius' ear. He rubbed his hand against him harder and ran the tip of his tongue over Sirius' lips.

"St-stop," Sirius panted out, pushing against Remus' hand. He met his eyes with desperation and a flicker of of a smile crossed his face. "Can we go to the car?"

Remus shook his head slowly and pushed his lips onto Sirius'. He kissed him gently, lingering with every brush of the tongue and press of the lips. His hand crawled up and popped open the button on Sirius' jeans.

Sirius flinched and pushed at Remus' hand. He looked at him, his eyes shocked, and shook his head. "Here?" he whispered. "Let's go to the car."

Remus shook his head again. He kissed against Sirius' neck and worked the zipper free on his jeans. He dipped his hand into the top of his boxers and Sirius grabbed his wrist. Remus bit down on Sirius' neck, making him slap his hand over his mouth. "Yeah, you'd better stay quiet," he whispered. "Stay very, very quiet."

Sirius closed his eyes and bit down on his hand. Remus pressed his face into Sirius' hair and breathed hotly onto his neck as his hand moved down and closed around him. He moved his hand tortuously slow, making sure that Sirius would be able to stay quiet. Sirius squirmed and panted as Remus moved his hand faster. He grabbed Remus' hair, which caused the boy to resume kissing him, deeply. Sirius let out a muffled whine into Remus' mouth and and his entire body relaxed against the seat.

Remus smiled, sweetly, and pulled his hand away. He quickly buttoned Sirius' pants and gave him a small kiss. He stood up and Sirius grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked, looking up with glazed eyes.

Remus laughed quietly and leaned over to his face. "I'm going to wash my hand and get some Raisinettes," he answered with a grin.

"Oh, hey, I want some candy too," Sirius said, grinning back. "Grab me some gummy worms while you're out there."

"Anything for you, Sirius," Remus laughed as he moved down the aisle.

* * *

Remus lifted the push mower into the back of his truck wincing in pain, and closed the tail gate. He pulled a small towel from his back pocket and wiped at his face, ridding it of sweat and tears. He put his hands against the side of his truck and hung his head taking deep, calming breaths. A tap on his shoulder made him spin around and step back into the truck door. He groaned and closed his eyes.

"What do you want, Regulus?" Remus asked through clenched teeth.

"I just wanted to say hey. How are you?" Regulus asked innocently.

Remus rolled his eyes and tossed his towel into the truck through the open window. "I'm fine. Is that all?"

"No. I wa-" Regulus was cut off by a loud cough from behind him.

Sirius stepped up and dropped his hand onto Regulus' shoulder. "Why don't you scram?" He shoved him towards the house and glared.

Regulus walked away, muttering under his breath and throwing glances back at his brother.

Sirius smiled and took a step towards Remus, his arms reaching for the boy's waist. Remus took a step to the side and put his hands out like a shield. Sirius scowled at him and raised his eyebrows.

"I'm covered in sweat, Sirius. You don't wanna touch me," Remus said giving him a weak smile.

Sirius sighed and reached for him again. "Moony, I don't care if you're sweaty, it's hot." When Remus took another step away from him, he narrowed his eyes. "Remus, I just said that I don't care if you're sweaty." He advanced again.

"Don't touch me, Sirius," Remus snapped, stepping away again. "Sorry, I'm not being...it isn't you, okay?" He hung his head and ran his fingers through his hair.

Sirius stared at Remus with confusion. "What _is_ wrong then? You're acting weird." He grabbed Remus around the waist before the boy could react.

Remus hissed loudly and pulled out of Sirius' arms. "Damn it! Don't you ever fucking listen?" he yelled, tears springing to his eyes. He wrapped his arms around his own waist and turned away, leaning on the truck.

Sirius widened his eyes and bit down on his bottom lip. "I'm sorry, Moony. What's wrong?" He stepped up behind him and ran his hand down Remus' arm. He moved in front of him and lifted his face, then wiped away the tears from his eyes. "Did I...did I just hurt you?"

Remus cut his eyes away and tried to take a step away, but Sirius held onto his shoulder.

"Remus, talk to me." Sirius locked their eyes and grabbed the bottom of Remus' shirt. He tried to lift it, but his hand was batted away.

"Don't. I have to go." Remus pulled away from Sirius and pulled open the door to his truck.

"That's a lie, Remus Lupin! You told me last night that our house was your last stop today." Sirius grabbed Remus' arm and pulled him back over. He put his hands on the sides of Remus' face and forced him to look at him. "What's wrong? You're hurt, aren't you. Tell me, please, just tell me."

"Yes!" Remus cried out and pushed Sirius away from him. "Yes, okay, I'm sore from working all day." He turned away from him and took a deep breath.

"You're lying to me, Moony," Sirius whispered. He reached out and took Remus' hand into his own. "Don't you trust me?"

Remus turned around quickly, and gaped at Sirius. "Of course, I trust you."

Sirius put his free hand on the hem of Remus' shirt. "Then show me. I know it's something on your side because that's where I grabbed you. I won't freak out, promise."

Remus took a long, deep breath and lifted the side of his shirt to reveal a large, purple bruise over his ribs. He dropped the shirt back down and hung his head.

Sirius ground his teeth together, trying to keep from yelling. He laced his fingers into Remus' belt loops and pressed their foreheads together. "You were fine when I dropped you off," he whispered.

Remus nodded and put his arms around Sirius' neck, biting back the urge to hiss at the pain that shot through his side by doing so. "I'm fine now. It's nothing new."

Sirius frowned and shook his head. "You're sure nothing's broken?"

Remus shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think anything is. I'm standing fine, it hurts to bend and stretch though."

The casual tone of Remus' voice was making Sirius seethe inside, but he didn't want to make it worse by exploding. "You should go to the E.R. and get checked out."

"I can't go there. Are you crazy?" Remus pulled away and stared at Sirius in shock. He shook his head. "No. They ask too many questions and they send things in the mail. I can't risk it."

Sirius growled and threw his hands up. "Well, will you at least let James' dad check you out? He's a doctor."

Remus chewed on his bottom lip and sighed. "I suppose."

* * *

Harold Potter frowned at Sirius as he stepped out of his guest bedroom. "You say he fell while mowing?" he asked, his voice full of doubt.

Sirius nodded quickly and took a deep breath. "Is he alright? Nothing's broken, is it?" he asked, cutting his eyes towards the door.

"Nothing's broken. His ribs are pretty banged up, I'm shocked they didn't break. He'll have to take it easy for a few weeks, which he has already argued about." Harold put his hand on Sirius' shoulder and looked into his eyes. "How often does he..._fall_ while mowing?"

Sirius stared back, his jaw set firm. "Why do you ask?"

"I know he's important to you, Sirius, and you want to protect him, but you have to ask yourself, who are you protecting him from? Me?" Harold swallowed hard and shook his head. "I have to file a report."

"You can't! That's why he didn't go in to the hospital. We told you he fell, can't you just accept that?"

"No. I can't. You can blame a fall for that bruise but it doesn't explain the others or the scars." Harold squeezed Sirius' shoulder. "I have to do the right thing, son. There's no other choice."

Sirius looked at the floor. He wasn't sure why he didn't bother to argue. It could have been because he knew he'd lose or because he didn't want to win. He pushed past Harold into the bedroom and closed the door behind him. He walked over to Remus, who was leaning against the wall, staring out of the window. He brushed his hand down his back and turned him to face him.

Remus choked back his words when Sirius grabbed the hem of his shirt. He turned his face away and grabbed onto the boy's wrists. "It's better if you don't."

Sirius ignored him, lifted up Remus' shirt and bit his tongue at the sight of several yellowing bruises and and two large scars. He traced his fingertips over a long, straight scar, stretching across his chest. "How?"

"Grill," Remus said, quietly. "I was fifteen. The grill was open and my hands were full." He pulled at his shirt, but Sirius held on tight and moved his fingers to the jagged, rough looking scar just below his heart. Remus sighed and licked his lips. "I was twelve." He pushed Sirius away and secured his shirt back down. "Broken bottle. I tried to fight back, but I was too small." He turned to look back out of the window, his face blank.

Sirius took his hand and laid his head on Remus' shoulder. "Why don't you just run away from him?" he asked, his lip shaking.

"Sometimes, it's me or her. She might be a miserable excuse for a mother, but she's the only parent I have left." Remus draped his arm over Sirius' shoulder and kissed his neck softly. "It's fine. Everything will be fine."

"Mister P said he's going to file a report. He said he has no choice." Sirius looked apologetic, though he didn't feel that way inside.

"It's fine. Most likely, they'll ignore it, based on my age. If they do follow through, they won't put much effort into it, they didn't last time," Remus said, dismissing the topic as he squeezed Sirius' hand and pulled him out of the room. "Come on, I wanna get out of here before James gets back. He can't stand me."

"He thinks Lily wants you," Sirius said smirking, as they headed for the front door.

"Smart guy, too bad he's a jerk." Remus rolled his eyes.

Sirius pulled Remus to a stop. "What's that supposed to mean? Does Lily have a thing for you?"

Remus gave a small laugh. "Yeah, she does. She's always saying that she wishes I was straight." He made a sad face when Sirius pouted at him. "Sirius, she's my friend. I'm not remotely interested in her that way." He put his hand on Sirius' cheek and shook his head. "You're cute when you pout."

Sirius smiled and leaned in, kissing Remus gently. "Stay the night. You have class tomorrow, you can leave from here. It's closer anyways."

Remus smiled and nodded. "Okay."

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Let me know what you thought. Virtual cookies and juice for all of my reviewers, also a big thank you to my anonymous fans. :D –Jenna**

**Now beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	17. I Wanna

**Chapter 17: I Wanna**

**.**

Lily's long, red hair laid sprawled across the pillow on James' bed. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a fierce kiss. She pushed her body against his and James let out a whine. He pulled away and sat up on the bed, pushing one hand through his already messy hair.

"Lily, you can't keep doing that. You don't want to have sex, but then you go and tease me." James pulled his knees up to his chest and hung his arms over them.

Lily sat up and grinned at James. "I've been thinking about that."

James jumped up and shifted to sit on his knees, a look of pure shock and excitement on his face.

Lily held up her hands and laughed. She shook her head and pushed him to sit back down. "We aren't having sex."

James scoffed and turned his face away.

"That doesn't mean we can't...you know, do other things." Lily grabbed James' hand and tugged on it so that he would look at her. "We can do that thing you wanted to do last week."

James got a wide smile and quickly tackled Lily back to the bed. "Lily, you are great! I love you. I swear you'll like it." He raised his eyebrows and moved to lay beside her.

* * *

Remus pulled off his dirt covered gloves and tossed them onto the open tailgate of his truck. He was reaching for his water bottle when he heard someone step up behind him.

"Hey, Remus," Regulus called out, smiling as Remus turned around. He gave the boy a small wave and shoved his hands into his slacks pockets.

Remus raised his eyebrows and smirked at Regulus. "Hey," he said, dryly. He took a long drink and learned back against his truck. "Did you walk four blocks just to say hey?" he asked with a grin.

Regulus gave a nervous laugh and leaned on the truck next to Remus. "No. I wanted to talk to you...about us."

"There is no _us, _Regulus. That's over, you need to stop calling me," Remus said quietly. He turned away from the other boy and gathered his things from the tailgate.

Regulus shook his head and followed Remus. "I think you should give me a second chance."

"I gave you a second chance. I gave you a third and a fourth and fifth and... I'm not stupid, Regulus." Remus tossed his things into the truck and walked back to the tailgate. "You just aren't mature enough for a real relationship."

"I can change. I will change." Regulus grabbed Remus' hand and frowned as he pulled it away. "I know that you still want me. You think I can't tell that you're only with my brother to get at me?"

Remus slammed his tailgate closed and stuck his finger in Regulus' face. He narrowed his eyes and fought back the urge to scream. He dropped his hand and shook his head. "I knew you were going to get to that at some point. I knew it," he growled. "You're whacked if you actually believe that. What I have with him is in no way related to what I _had _with you."

Regulus rolled his eyes and took a step towards Remus. "You can say that all you want, but I know I'm right."

"Then it must be true," Remus said through clenched teeth. "True that you're completely whacked." He turned away from Regulus and pulled his truck door open.

Regulus put his hand on the door to keep it from opening all the way. "You're making a mistake with him."

Remus cut his eyes away and batted at Regulus' hand. He pressed his lips tightly together and opened the door fully.

"You're just some phase to him. Can't you tell that? You're like an experiment and when he's done, he'll toss you to the side," Regulus insisted and stepped out of the way as Remus got into his truck. "He isn't right for you. You're gonna get hurt in trusting him."

Remus let out a laugh and glared at Regulus. "That's rich coming from you. You know what? I'd rather be his experiment, than your anything." He slammed his door closed and started the truck, drowning out the words that he could see Regulus saying.

Regulus shook his head and stepped away from the truck. "Yeah, we'll see," he muttered, walking back in the direction of his house.

* * *

Sirius groaned loudly as shifted his school bag higher onto his shoulder. "First day back to hell," he said, giving another groan. He tugged at the bottom of his uniform shirt and frowned. "I hate these clothes."

Remus stepped up behind Sirius and wrapped his arms around him. "I think you look good in them."

"You would," Sirius snorted. "Pretty boy lover." He turned around in Remus' arms and put his own around the boy's neck. He gave Remus a smirk and leaned back against the locker, pulling him along.

"PDA much, boys?" Lily said with a giggle as she and James walked up beside them, holding hands.

"Moony doesn't mind a little public display, do you?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively at Remus. "Hey, we should go see a movie this weekend," he added in a whisper.

Remus laughed silently and bit his bottom lip. "Sure thing, Sirius."

Sirius licked his lips and got a mischievous look in his eyes. "Um...we'll see you guys later," he said in James and Lily's direction. "I need to talk to Remus alone." He dropped his arms and grabbed Remus' hands.

"Where are we going?" Remus asked as Sirius pulled him down the hallway. He frowned at not receiving an answer, but silently allowed himself to be led towards the mathematics hall of the school.

Sirius pulled Remus into an unused classroom where extra desks and boxes of holiday decorations were kept. He closed the door behind them and turned to Remus, a sneaky smile on his face. Remus raised his eyebrows and stepped away from Sirius.

"Are you crazy?" Remus asked, holding up his hands to block an advancing Sirius. "We can't mess around at school, Sirius. We'll get in trouble." He stepped away again and collided with a desk.

Sirius closed in on his retreating boyfriend and grabbed the front of his pants. He licked his lips and pressed against him. "You weren't worrying about getting caught when I was squirming at the movies." He brought his lips next to Remus' ear and ran his tongue over it. "Revenge is so sweet." He wrapped one arm around Remus to hold him still.

"Sirius, we could get in a lot of trouble." Remus used his eyes to plead with him and shifted against the desk.

"Then you'd better be really quiet," Sirius whispered. He plunged his hand into Remus' pants and smiled as the boy squirmed against him.

Remus opened his mouth to protest, but Sirius covered it with his own, silencing him with a deep kiss. Remus moaned into their kiss and wrapped his arms around Sirius' neck. He pushed his fingers into the boy's hair and held him firm against his lips. Teeth grazed over lips and tongues and both of them were breathing heavily as Sirius pleased his lover.

Sirius pulled away, a very satisfied smile on his face, and locked his eyes on Remus'. He quickly cleaned off his hand with some marker board wipes in a near-by box, frowning at the chemical smell and wishing he had been more prepared. He wrapped his arms around Remus and they kissed again, this time slow and sweet.

"We better get to class," Remus whispered as they pulled apart.

* * *

Lily climbed into Remus' truck and set her bag on the floorboard. "Can you believe that we've been back in school for three weeks already? Time really flies."

Remus nodded as he pulled on his seat belt. "Yeah, it has," he answered dryly. He looked over at Lily with concern. "Are you alright? You've seemed a little down today," he asked as he started the truck.

Lily gave a fake smile and pulled on her seat belt. "I'm great."

The two rode towards South Lake in silence. Lily would occasionally look over at Remus and start to speak, but change her mind. Remus would cast glances her way, still concerned. As he turned onto their street, Lily shifted and gave a heavy sigh.

"What is wrong, Lily?" Remus asked, his voice stern.

Lily waited until Remus pulled into the driveway and shut off the truck before she spoke. "James and I had sex last night," she blurted out, then sprang into tears.

Remus stared at her with wide eyes and hid a grin behind his hand. "Why are you crying? You love James, don't you?" When Lily nodded, he reached over and unhooked her seat belt. "Then why the tears? Did you not...like it?"

Lily gave a quiet laugh and wiped the tears off of her face. "I did like it. A lot, actually. I'm crying because I broke a promise to my mom. I don't know how I can look her in the eyes." She turned to Remus and frowned. "It might make her angry if she found out. I couldn't stand it if my mom was mad at me."

"Lily, your mom loves you, she isn't going to get mad at you. She might be disappointed, but honestly, you should just not tell her. Teenagers don't tell their parents everything. Yeah, you do, but you don't have to." Remus laughed and nudged Lily in the shoulder. "I really thought you were gonna hold out. It's kinda weird."

"I thought I would too, but after... well, you don't need details." Lily blushed and looked out of the window.

"So was that it? A one-time thing?" Remus asked.

"I hope not," Lily answered with a grin. "You were right, sex is great. Especially with someone you love, not that I know the difference."

"Neither do I. Sirius and I aren't anywhere near that stage yet," Remus said, smiling down at the steering wheel.

Lily's face went blank and she slowly turned her head towards Remus. She blinked a few times and let out a sharp breath. "Remus Lupin, did you just say what I think you said?" she asked, her eyes growing wide.

Remus grinned and looked out of his window. "What do you think I just said?" he asked innocently.

"Well, it kinda just sounded like you said you're _in love _with Sirius. It sounded that way, is that what you meant?" Lily shoved on his shoulder, trying to make him look at her.

"I don't know," Remus answered, blushing and batting Lily's hand away, a goofy grin stuck on his face. "I _don't _know. How do you know if you're in love with someone?"

"The fact that you're even saying the word without pretending to gag should be a big clue." Lily squealed and covered her mouth with her hands. "Look at that smile. I think you are! Damn it, you are in love with Sirius!" She squealed again.

Remus put his forehead on the steering wheel and pulled his hand over his mouth, trying to remove the huge smile that Lily was referring to. "I think I am," he whispered. He shook his head and sat back against the seat properly. "I just...I've never felt like this before. When I'm with him," he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "it's like nothing else matters."

"Like the entire world could fall apart around you," Lily prompted. "You wouldn't even care."

"Or notice," Remus laughed. "He makes everything better. Movies are better when I watch with him, food tastes better, music sounds better. Life is just..." Remus trailed off.

"Better," Lily finished. "That, my dear friend, is called love." She smiled warmly and licked her lips. "So, when are you gonna tell him?"

"Never," Remus said quickly.

"What? You have to tell him! That's what you do when you're in love, you tell the other person." Lily beamed at Remus and bounced in her seat.

"I'm not ready. I want to, Lily, but that's too fast for me. I mean, this all really new and I don't even know if it's real. I'm confused and terrified." Remus sighed and climbed out of the truck. "I'll see you at the party tomorrow."

"Alright, see you then," Lily called out as she left the truck. She couldn't help but smile as she skipped over to her house and went inside.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Ah, Remus thinks he might be in love! Will he work up the nerve to tell the object of his affection or will something (or someone) get in the way? What do you think about Lily breaking her word on waiting until marriage? Leave me some thoughts. :D –Jenna**

**Now beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	18. Breakin'

**Chapter 18: Breakin'**

**.**

Regulus frowned as he moved through the overcrowded Potter house. He narrowly dodged being sloshed with beer twice and felt as though a red eyed boy were following him, because he turned down the same offer three times. He sighed heavily as he scanned the crowd for a familiar face. He was almost to the point of giving up, for the loud music was becoming too much to stand, when he spotted him.

Remus had just ducked into the kitchen when he felt someone grab his arm. He grinned, thinking it was Sirius, and spun around. "Oh," he said, his face dropping. "It's you. What do you want?"

"Just saying hey," Regulus answered with a smile. "I wanted to say sorry, about what happened before. I was out of line and it won't happen again."

Remus snorted a laugh and covered his mouth with his hand. "I was out of line," he parroted, using a fake British accent and sticking his nose in the air. He laughed again and shook his head. "Lighten up, this is a party, not a...tea party." He picked a beer out of a cooler and pressed it into Regulus' hands.

Regulus grimaced at the bottle and set it down on the counter behind Remus. "You know I don't drink."

"You don't do a lot of things," Remus said laughing into his beer.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Regulus cried out, crossing his arms over his chest.

Remus smiled and took another drink. "Nothing, Regulus, I was only joking." He reached out and pat him on the head.

Regulus slapped at Remus' hand and took a step back, bumping into a rather large boy. The large boy slammed his beer on the counter and shoved his hands against Regulus, knocking him back against the counter.

"Hey!" Remus yelled, stepping in between them. "Chill the fuck out. Do you hear me?"

The boy glared at Remus, but picked up his beer and walked away. Sirius stepped into the spot where the boy had been and raised one eyebrow at Remus.

"Defending my brother, are you?" Sirius asked, setting his beer on the counter.

"It was my fault," Remus answered, casually. "Are you ready to go?"

"No, I am not ready to go!" Sirius yelled. He scowled at Remus and then his brother. "What are you doing in here with him? I left you alone for like...ten minutes."

"Sirius, don't get all jealous. I came in here and he followed me." Remus reached to put his arms around Sirius and gasped when he stepped away.

"Don't touch me! You're down here all...hugging on my brother!" Sirius picked up his beer and stormed out of the kitchen.

"Sirius!" Remus yelled after him and made chase into the living room. He grabbed the boy's arm and spun him around. "I didn't do anything wrong. Why are you so mad at me?"

"I'm mad because you want him," Sirius hissed.

"That isn't true! I want you. Only you," Remus insisted, trying to grab onto Sirius' hand.

Sirius pulled away and crossed his arms. "You're lying. The only reason you want me is to get him back. Just admit it!"

Remus stared at Sirius, his face stunned. "D...do you really believe that?" he whispered.

Sirius dropped his head and stared at the floor. "You can't even deny it."

"I shouldn't have to!" Remus yelled. "What have I ever done to make you doubt that..." He closed his eyes and rubbed at them, roughly. "You know what, this is bullshit. I'm out of here." He turned around and made a break for the back door.

Sirius grabbed at his hair and growled. He handed his beer to the first person that walked by and took off upstairs.

Twenty minutes later, Regulus stepped into the back yard and looked down at Remus, who was sitting next to the pool, staring into it. "You should go talk to him."

"Why, so he can accuse me of something else?" Remus sneered as he tipped up his beer.

"He's drunk, way too drunk. He's had time to cool off." Regulus grabbed Remus' arm and pulled him towards the door. "I saw him head upstairs."

Remus gave the boy a weary look, but was much too drunk to put any effort into analyzing him. He shrugged and handed Regulus the empty bottle. It took a good five minutes for him to make it upstairs to the spare bedroom that Sirius always pulled him into when he wanted to make out.

Just as his hand reached the knob, the door opened and a girl with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes stepped out, smiling.

"Hey, are you looking for Sirius?" the girl asked. "He's in there but he's a little tired now." She winked at Remus and giggled. "You might wanna give him another few minutes, I'm sure he'll be good and ready then." She smiled seductively and flipped back her hair as she eyed Remus.

Remus stared at the girl in horror and opened his mouth to speak. He wasn't able to form words, though he was sure if he had, they would have been nothing more than curses. He shook his head and headed back down the stairs, leaving the girl standing with a smile still on her face.

The girl watched as Remus headed downstairs then slowly followed after him. "Regulus," she said when she spotted the boy. She held out her hand and nodded towards it. "It's done."

Regulus smiled and placed a folded over hundred dollar bill in the girl's hand. "Where's my brother?"

"He's passed out cold," the girl answered, shoving the money in her pocket. "So what are you gonna do now?"

Regulus grinned and rocked back on his heels. "Now...I'm going to get back my damn boyfriend." He gave a small nod and headed off in Remus' direction. When he caught up to him, he grabbed his arm and put on an innocent face. "What are you doing? Didn't find him?"

Remus ignored him and stepped in front of Lily as she was passing. "Drive me home?" he asked, pressing his keys into her hand.

Lily nodded and shot a small glare towards Regulus. "Sure, I will."

Remus wouldn't speak as Lily drove him home. He told her she could go back to the party in his truck, but she opted to just stay home instead. He thanked her again and headed inside his house, too drunk to remember not to make any noise.

The slamming door made Jeffrey, who was asleep on the couch, jump up and glare at Remus. "Do you know what fucking time it is?" he yelled.

"Do you?" Remus snipped as he headed towards his door.

Jeffrey sprang up from the couch and stepped in front of Remus. "Are you fucking sassing me, you little prick?" he snarled, pushing against Remus' chest.

Remus stumbled back and let out a laugh. "_Are you fucking sassing me, you little prick_?" he mocked in a girly voice. He let out another laugh and shoved Jeffrey back.

"You reek of alcohol. Are you drunk?" Jeffrey yelled, grabbing Remus' hands and pushing him back away from him.

Remus nodded and tried to step around Jeffrey. "You would know when someone's drunk when you see it. Seeing as how you always are."

Jeffrey spun Remus around and glared down at him. "You watch your mouth, you little faggot."

Remus stared up into Jeffrey's eyes and smiled. "Fuck...you."

* * *

"Alright, Mister Lupin, all that's left is to pick out what color you want." Doctor Flitwick, one of the E.R. doctors, turned around to face Remus and held out a tray of color swatches. "Or you can keep it white."

Remus was sitting on the end of a hospital bed, his right hand over his eyes to shield them from the bright hospital lights. "Can you just make it black?" he whispered, not even looking up at the doctor.

"Sure can," the doctor answered. He grabbed the roll of black taping and lifted Remus' freshly cast left wrist into the air. "Just hold it up."

Remus held his arm up as the doctor wrapped the black taping around the cast on his wrist and upper hand. He rubbed at his eyes and took deep breaths, fighting the urge to become sick all over the tiny exam room.

"You say you tripped," the doctor asked, his tone innocent.

Remus nodded, wishing the doctor wouldn't speak so loud, or at all, really. "I was drunk. Still am, actually. Coffee tables and drunk teenagers do not make good friends."

Doctor Flitwick laughed loudly, making Remus instantly regret his wit. He finished wrapping the cast and escorted Remus into the waiting area, where his mother had to finish filling out the paperwork for his release.

"Do you have any idea how much this is going to cost?" Diane spat as she and Remus climbed into her old Buick.

Remus leaned against the door and shrugged. "It isn't a bicycle, okay. I didn't ask for this." He held up the cast and scoffed at it.

"Oh no?" Diane argued. "So you didn't come home drunk and start back talking? I was imagining that."

"Okay, I get it."

"Maybe I was imagining that you told Jeffrey he could go fuck himself and that he was...what was it? Oh, _foul_," Diane continued.

"I said I get it! I'll pay for the fucking bills!" Remus yelled.

"Don't you raise your voice at me, young man. You're damn straight that you're gonna pay the fucking bill. The whole thing." Diane lit a cigarette and cracked the window before starting the car.

Remus felt his phone ring in his pocket and pulled it out. He stared down at the screen: _Sirius Black_. His thumb hovered over the answer button until the call went to voice mail. When it started ringing again, he hit the power button and shut the phone off completely.

"Get in a fight with your..._boy...friend_?" Diane stuttered out, hesitantly.

"Like you care," Remus sighed.

Diane frowned and flicked the butt of her cigarette out of the window. "Of course, I care. I love you, son."

"If this is what love is like, I was happier without it," Remus mumbled towards his lap.

"What? I can't understand you when you mumble."

"I said, I love you too, mom," Remus said, clearly. He turned his attention back out of the window as the sun was rising.

* * *

Sirius slammed his phone down onto the kitchen counter and dragged both hands roughly through his hair. He lowered one to wipe the tears off of his cheeks and picked up his coffee cup. His hands were trembling, whether it was the crying or the four cups of coffee causing it, he wasn't sure. He picked up the phone again, dialed Remus and growled as it went straight to voice mail.

"Looks like your little game is over," Regulus said tauntingly as he stepped up behind his brother and walked around the counter.

"I don't wanna deal with you right now, damn it," Sirius growled.

"Stop your blubbering. So your little experiment is over sooner than you thought. Suck it up," Regulus spat, leaning onto the counter.

Sirius looked up at his brother with confusion. "Game? Experiment? What are you on about?Remus is not some game to me."

Regulus rolled his eyes and scoffed. "No, more like a phase. You had that weird phase where you wore that Batman cape all the time, now you're having a gay phase. It's over, now you can go back to screwing any girl with a pulse."

"You shut your damn mouth!" Sirius yelled. "You don't know anything about me and I will not let you call what I have with him a _phase._"

"Then what is it? On my end, it just looks pathetic," Regulus sneered.

"What is it? It's called 'love' you dipshit. I know someone like you can't grasp the idea, but I love him." Sirius shoved his phone into his pocket and turned away.

"How can you love someone that doesn't even believe in it?" Regulus laughed.

"It's easy," Sirius said without looking back. "You just know that the someone is who you are meant to be with."

* * *

**A Note From the Author: So, leave me a list of all the awful things you would like to do to Regulus right now. :D Really though, I would love to know what you guys think of the chapter. -Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP on the HPFF forums.**


	19. Believe

**Chapter 19: Believe**

**.**

_Pain. _That was the only word Regulus could use to describe his existence. His alarm clock that morning had been his nose exploding as Sirius' fist pounded into it. His eyes snapped open just in time to see another fist collide with his face, this time slamming into his jaw and making him spit blood across his pillow. He reached up and thrust his hands into his brother's chest, knocking him back onto the bed.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Regulus screamed, crawling onto the floor with one hand as the other rested over his nose, spurting blood onto the carpet.

Sirius climbed to his feet and put a well placed kick into his brother's ribs. "I know what you did, you little piece of shit!" he yelled, grabbing on to his brother's arm and pulling him to his feet. He grabbed onto Regulus' shoulders and shook him, hard. "You've done some awful things before, but I can't believe that you would do this."

Regulus pushed away from Sirius and flinched as the boy moved at him again. "I don't know what you're talking about!" he cried out, his words distorted from his busted nose.

"I'm talking about you tricking Remus! That bitch you paid called me. Seems she has a conscience, something you clearly lack." Sirius grabbed onto his brother again and pushed him sideways into the floor. "I swear to you, if Remus doesn't believe me, I'm going to break your face into a thousand tiny pieces," he snarled, then turned and bolted from the room.

Regulus groaned loudly and pulled himself to his feet. He wiped away the blood from his face and hissed as pain shot through his nose once again. He grabbed his phone and quickly dialed Remus, unsure of what he was going to say.

Remus ignored his ringing phone when he saw the screen. He finished combing his hair and grabbed his bag. Quietly, he made his way out of the house and over to Lily's for breakfast, tossing his bag into his truck as he walked by it.

* * *

Sirius pulled into his usual parking space at school and jumped out of the car. He ran towards the school, remembered he left his bag at the car, ran back to fetch his bag and then ran for the school again. His eyes darted frantically around the locker area, but there was no sign of Remus.

"He's in the cafeteria," Lily said as she walked up beside Sirius. "There's something you sh-"

"Thanks, Evans!" Sirius shouted, quickly and dashed for the cafeteria. He spotted Remus sitting down the moment he walked in. It took everything he had to not rush over and throw his arms around the boy's neck. "Moony! I can explain."

Remus held up his right hand and shook his head. "You don't have to explain anything." He kept his casted arm hidden under the table and looked up at Sirius. "I was mad at first, but once I sobered up, I realized I had been played. By her, I mean. She was so fake, but I was too drunk to notice." He closed his eyes and hung his head. "I'm sorry that I doubted you for even a moment."

Sirius' face lit up and he fell hard into the chair next to Remus'. He put his hands on the sides of the boy's face and pulled him into a slow, loving kiss. When their lips parted, he gave a small frown. "I don't understand. If you knew then why wouldn't you take my calls and why did you send that other guy to work for you Sunday?"

Remus took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Because..." He cut his eyes away and moved his casted left hand up onto the table. "Because of this," he whispered.

"Fuck, Moony! What happened?" Sirius asked, moving his fingers lightly over the cast.

"When I got home from the party I was really angry and I said some really stupid things," Remus answered, his eyes focused in his lap.

"Wait," Sirius said, forcing Remus to look up at him. "_He _did this to you?" At Remus' nod, he flew up out of his chair and grabbed at his hair. He shot out a string of nonsense profanities and dropped to his knees in front of Remus. "This is all my fault," he whispered, laying his head in Remus' lap.

"It isn't your fault, Sirius, it's his," Remus said, running his fingers through the boy's hair.

"It is though," Sirius insisted. He pulled himself back into his chair and held Remus' good hand between his. "If I hadn't gotten so upset about seeing you with my brother, then we never would have separated and you wouldn't have left and then you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"I'm fine," Remus whispered. "It doesn't hurt and I was so drunk that I barely noticed when it happened. Don't dwell on this, okay?" He pulled Sirius into another kiss and started laughing. "I should have just let that guy hit him."

Sirius looked away, guiltily and rubbed the back of his neck. "I, um...I took care of that. Nothing like a busted nose to say good morning." He smiled, nervously, knowing how much Remus disapproved of violence.

Remus frowned, but said nothing against Sirius' actions. He got to his feet and slung his bag over his shoulder, then offered his good hand to Sirius. "Time for class." He gave a big smile.

Sirius let out a whine and took Remus' hand. He dragged his bag along behind him as they headed for class. "I get to sign your cast, right?"

"I got it black so that people wouldn't ask that," Remus answered, dryly.

Sirius pouted, but dropped the subject. "You're staying over tonight. That isn't a question, either," he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

* * *

Remus yawned, loudly and stretched as he fell back onto Sirius' bed and settled into the pillow.

"You aren't going to sleep, are you?" Sirius asked in a whine as he came out of the bathroom in only a pair of Scooby Doo pajama bottoms. He flipped off the bathroom light and jumped onto the end of the bed, sitting on his knees.

Remus sat up again and smiled. "I don't think I can now. Not with you sitting there being all gorgeous." He patted the spot next to him and licked his lips. "Come lay down."

Sirius scrambled to do as he was told and smiled when Remus moved to straddle him. He brushed his hands over Remus' legs and tangled his fingers into the boy's plaid pajama bottoms. His eyes dropped to the plain white tee-shirt that Remus wore. "Will you take your shirt off?" he asked, looking up to meet his eyes.

"I'd rather not," Remus whispered. He leaned down and kissed Sirius, passionately.

Sirius moaned into the kiss and lifted his hips against Remus. He put one hand into Remus' hair and wrapped his other arm around his waist.

Remus pulled his lips away and moved them to Sirius' neck. He bit at him, softly, earning a small whine from Sirius. He trailed his lips down the boy's neck and over his collarbone. Slowly, he moved downward, placing kisses as he moved across the boy's bare chest to his stomach. He ran his tongue over the top of Sirius' pants line and dipped his fingertips into the top of them. He looked up at Sirius and smiled. "Can I?"

Sirius' entire body tensed at Remus' words. His eyes were wide as he stared down at him. He nodded, quickly, knowing that his words would come out as nothing more than a squeak should he even try to say yes. He let out a long whimper as he watched Remus pull back the top of his pants and explore him.

Sirius slammed one hand against the bed and tangled his fingers into the sheets. His other hand threaded into Remus' hair and helped to guide him. A loud growl escaped Sirius' lips as he pressed his head back hard against the pillow and closed his eyes. When Remus had been met with satisfaction, he moved up beside Sirius, who rolled over onto his side towards him. Sirius smiled, a glazed and distant look in his eyes. Remus smiled back and wrapped one arm around the boy's waist, pulling their bodies together.

Sirius pulled the blanket up around them and held Remus tightly in his arms as they drifted off to sleep. The next morning, Remus couldn't help but smile as he sat up and looked down at his cast. During the night, Sirius had gotten a bottle of liquid paper and the words _'I Love You Moony' _were painted in bright white across the wrist of the cast.

Remus grazed his fingertips over the words and bit down on his bottom to lip to contain his smile. Sirius climbed up behind Remus and hugged his arms around the boy's waist and chest. He rested his chin on Remus' shoulder and smiled down at his work.

"It's true," Sirius whispered. He turned his head and gave Remus a small kiss on the cheek. "You might not believe in love but I do. I believe in it and I know that I'm in love with you." He pushed his face into Remus' neck and squeezed him.

Remus let out a slow breath and laid his hand over Sirius' arm. "I do believe," he whispered. He turned in Sirius' hold and pressed their foreheads together. "I believe now," he said, their eyes locked.

* * *

Lily slammed her fist into James' chest and wiped tears away from her eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she cried out.

"Lily, calm down. It isn't what you think," James said, his tone innocent. He pushed Lily back against her locker and smoothed her hair back. "I was just talking to her about a Chemistry assignment."

"You need to touch her face to talk about school?" Lily sneered, turning away from James.

"I know that must've looked bad from your point of view, but I wasn't actually flirting with her." James grabbed Lily's face and forced her to look into his eyes. "We've been over this before. You are the only girl I want. You are the only girl I will ever want."

Lily cut her eyes away and folded her arms over her chest, tears still streaking down her face. "How can I believe that when I see you all over that hussy?"

"You just believe me, that's how," James snapped. He shook his head and pushed one hand up into his hair. "Look, I'm getting sick of these accusations. Either you love me, which means you trust me, or you don't. Honestly, Lily, if you don't trust me, then we shouldn't be together." He took a step back and dropped his hands to his sides.

Lily wiped at her face again and glared at James. "Did you just threaten to dump me if I don't roll over and believe you?" she asked, her face angry and shocked. "Go on then," she spat defiantly. "I'll have you know, I don't believe you! I know that you've cheated. Now, you have a choice. Either you shape up and treat me right, or I am done with you."

James watched in horror as Lily snatched her bag from the floor and took off down the hallway. He rubbed his eyes under his glasses and mussed his hair once more. With a heavy sigh, he leaned back against the lockers, barely noticing as Remus and Sirius walked up.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, nudging his friend.

James shook his head and quickly recited the last twenty minutes for Sirius. Remus snorted into his hand and made no attempt at looking apologetic when James glared at him.

"Sorry, but I can't help it. I'm glad that Lily is finally wising up and telling you off," Remus said with a big grin.

"You know what, Lupo, I've had enough of you," James growled, putting his finger into Remus' face. "Why don't you just get lost already before I put your other arm in a fucking cast too?"

Sirius shoved James back against the lockers and stared at him coldly. "Don't you _ever _threaten him. You hear me?" he hissed, putting his closed fist against James' chest.

James pushed back against Sirius and darted his eyes over to Remus, who was staring at Sirius with obvious worry.

Remus put his hand on Sirius' arm and stepped in between him and James. "Hey, don't get pissed off at your friend over me. I started it and I don't need you to defend me."

Sirius closed his eyes and nodded at Remus, who gave him a quick kiss and returned to his locker. Sirius looked over at James and narrowed his eyes. "You might not like him, but you need to get used to him," he whispered. "Because he isn't going anywhere."

"You're right, Sirius, I'm sorry. I won't say anything to him anymore. After all, he's here to stay." James smiled and raised his eyebrows. "Until the year is over and he rushes across the country, leaving your two point three GPA ass here in West Lake to work for daddy." He dashed away down the hallway, ignoring the fallen look on Sirius' face.

Remus rubbed his hand over Sirius' shoulder and turned him to face him. "What's wrong? You look sick." He rested the back of his hand against Sirius' forehead and frowned. He tilted his head and pulled the boy closer to him. "Talk to me, what's wrong?"

Sirius swallowed hard and gave his best attempt at a smile. "It's nothing, Moony. I'm okay. James can just be a jerk sometimes." He took Remus' hand into his own and pulled him away from the lockers. "Let's just get to class."

* * *

**A Note From the Author: For those of you unfamiliar with American High School grading systems, a 2.3 GPA (grade point average) is NOT a good one. -Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	20. Don't Leave Me

**Chapter 20: Don't Leave Me**

**.**

A sinister laugh, coming from a tiny plastic, motion activated skull greeted Remus and Sirius as they stepped inside the large, warehouse-like shop. The shoppe currently held all manner of Halloween decorations, bulk candy and costumes. Several small children darted across the boy's path, letting out excited shrieks, followed by a very exhausted looking woman carrying several costumes. Sirius clapped his hands together and smiled over at Remus.

Remus made an attempt at smiling back, which caused Sirius to frown. "Moony, how can you not like Halloween?" he asked, grabbing Remus' hand.

"I do like Halloween. I just don't like costumes." Remus squeezed Sirius' hand as they made their way to the male section of the costume racks.

Sirius started flipping happily through the first rack, a large smile playing on his face. "That's too bad. You have to wear a costume. It's the rules, no costume, no entrance."

"Maybe I don't want to come to your party then," Remus said coolly. "I'm kidding," he laughed when Sirius pouted at him, "I'm just saying, you want me to help you decorate the dang thing and I have to dress up."

"You don't have to help," Sirius said as he moved to a shelf of costume props. "I can always call the people that put up our Christmas lights. They did a really nice job last year."

Remus let out a loud laugh and hugged his arms around Sirius' neck. "That's quite the offer, but I _am _the one who put up your Christmas lights last year."

Sirius bit his bottom lip and blushed lightly. "Sorry. I forgot about that." He gave Remus a quick kiss and picked up a near-by plastic wand. He waved it around, playfully, and pointed it at Remus, a serious look crossing his face.

"Are you casting a spell on me, Sirius Black?" Remus asked, teasingly, as he snatched the wand away.

"Sure was," Sirius answered, barking a laugh. "I was casting a love spell." He lifted his hands and wiggled his fingers at Remus, making a ghost like sound.

Remus tossed the wand back onto the shelf and grabbed Sirius' hand. "You don't need a spell for that," he said with a grin.

"Oh, I don't?" Sirius questioned, pulling Remus into his arms. "Say that again. I don't need a spell to make you love me?"

"No, you don't," Remus answered, using his uncast hand to push Sirius' hair back. "I already love you." He smiled and titled his head towards the ground.

A slow smile spread across Sirius' face and his eyes lit up. He grabbed the sides of Remus' face and forced him to look up. "You love me," he said, a giddy laugh in his voice. "You just said that you love me."

Remus let out a quiet laugh and licked over his lips. "Yeah, I just said that I love you."

"Say it again," Sirius whispered, locking his arms around Remus' waist.

Remus pulled the smile from his face and leaned forward. "I love you. I... love you." He grazed his teeth over his bottom and stared into the sparkling grey that was Sirius' eyes.

"Say it again," Sirius repeated, smiling happily.

"I love you," Remus cried out, a bit louder than necessary. He slapped his hand over his mouth and grinned.

Sirius laughed and pulled Remus' hand away from his mouth. He leaned in and gave Remus a soft kiss, allowing his lips to linger afterward. "I love you," he whispered against the other boy's lips. "I love you so much."

* * *

"I don't wanna go to class," Sirius groaned as he was dragged down the hallway. "It sucks going to class. I want to be with you."

Remus stopped pulling on Sirius' hand and turned to him with a grin. "You can switch to the advanced classes, then you could be with me." He raised his eyebrows and laughed when Sirius pulled a disgusted face. "Then you'll have to be without me until after class."

Sirius frowned and pulled Remus into his arms. "You know, we could just skip and go to my house," he whispered, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Are you out of your mind? I'm not skipping class!" Remus shook his head and took a step back. "I love you, but I don't skip. Ever."

Sirius sighed and took Remus' good hand. "Ever?" he asked as they neared the door to his classroom.

"Ever." Remus smiled and squeezed Sirius' hand. "Get in there. I'll meet you after class."

"I don't even have a pen," Sirius groaned.

"Where is your bag?" Remus asked, noticing for the first time that Sirius wasn't carrying his backpack. When Sirius shrugged, Remus pulled his own bag open and dug through it. He pulled out a pen, handed it to Sirius, then resumed digging. As he pulled out a spare notebook, several pamphlets fell to the floor.

Sirius dove to the floor to help.. He picked up the flyers, bearing colors of maroon and dark blue, and looked over them. "Yale?" he asked as he spotted the front of the blue flyer. "That's in Massachusetts, isn't it?" He frowned at Remus and handed back the fallen property.

"No. Yale is in Connecticut," Remus corrected. He showed the front of the maroon flyer and nodded to it. "Harvard is in Massachusetts. They keep sending them to me, but I've wanted to go to Yale since I was nine," he said as he stuffed the flyers back into the bag.

"C-Connecticut?" Sirius turned his face to the floor and shifted his weight between feet.

"Yeah," Remus answered as he handed over the notebook to Sirius. "Here. Get to class. Take notes. Do your work. I'll see you in a while." He pulled the boy into a quick kiss and dashed across the hallway to his own class.

Sirius frowned and walked into his own class. He spent the first half of Binns' class doodling on one of the notebook pages, lost in thoughts of Connecticut.

* * *

The Black house was decked in horror motif. The walls of the party room were covered in slats resembling grey castle walls, and there were fake cobwebs wedged into each corner. There were two long tables overflowing with Halloween themed food and drinks; skulls and bats hung all along the house's entryway and a large animated wizard greeted the guests as they entered.

_Zorro _moved casually through the ever growing crowd of costumed teenagers. He stepped up behind a werewolf with a broken wrist and swept his cape in front of the creature, pulling him back into his arms. He pressed his lips against the side of the boy's neck and held him tightly.

Remus closed his eyes and leaned back against Sirius, smiling. "You look really hot in that mask," he whispered.

"Oh, do I?" Sirius said, making a very successful attempt at a Spanish accent. He spun Remus around in his arms and gave him a seductive smile. "Well, would this sexy werewolf be interested in heading upstairs with this hot masked hero?" he asked, keeping the accent.

"This is your party. You can't leave. What if something happens?" Remus asked, taking Sirius' hand.

Sirius frowned and let out a sigh. "You're right, I should stay," he said, dropping the accent. He pulled Remus towards the kitchen.

Remus pulled him to a stop and brought his lips to Sirius' ear. "Don't worry. When these people leave, I'll take you upstairs and give you a little treat."

Sirius smiled and bit his bottom lip. He gave a quiet whine and pushed into the kitchen, dragging Remus along. He dug into one of the coolers and pulled out an orange soda, earning him a look of confusion from Remus. "I just don't feel like drinking," he said innocently. "After what happened at the last party, I would just rather not. Some drink is not worth losing you."

Remus was grinning widely and pulled Sirius back out of the kitchen. Without a single glance around, he led Sirius up the stairs and into the boy's bedroom. He pushed the door closed, then pushed Sirius back, hard against it. He crashed his lips against the other boy's in a fierce kiss.

Sirius felt around and managed to put his soda onto the desk by his door without breaking the kiss. He grabbed onto Remus' sides and forced him back. "What are you doing? You just said th-"

"Forget what I said. Your brother is down there if anything happens." Remus reached up and pulled Sirius' hat off, tossing it to the floor. "I just want you to myself right now."

Sirius started to smile, but he couldn't. His face was drawn and he hung his head. He pulled Remus close and hooked his arms around his waist.

Remus put his hands on Sirius' face, forcing him to look up, pulling away the mask as he did. "What's wrong, Sirius? You've been acting mopey all week. Talk to me."

Sirius pressed his lips together tightly and put his palms against his eyes. "I don't wanna lose you," he whispered. He dropped his arms and sniffled hard. "I don't want you to leave me, Moony." He moved over to his bed and sat down on the edge his eyes locked to the floor.

"Sirius, I'm not gonna leave you," Remus insisted. He dropped onto his knees in front of Sirius and looked up at him. "I'm in love with you. Why would I ever leave you?"

"You are leaving me!" Sirius cried out. "You're going to _Connecticut_," he said, sneering the city.

A look of realization dawned over Remus' face and he moved onto the bed, wrapping his arms around Sirius. "I'll be at school. That doesn't mean I won't be with you. Are you afraid of distance?"

"I'm afraid that you'll get there and one of those Ivy League pretty boys is gonna sweep you away." Sirius turned his face back to the floor. "You're too good for me and I'm afraid that you'll realize that."

Remus narrowed his eyes and put his fingers into Sirius' hair. He twisted his fingers around the strands and forced Sirius to look at him. "Sirius, I am _not_ too good for you. That isn't how I see us. I think that we are right, exactly right, for each other. I couldn't find someone that I wanted more if I searched my entire life."

"You're pulling my hair kinda hard, Moony," Sirius whispered, wincing as Remus jerked his hand.

"Yeah, I am. Is it helping make you understand?" Remus asked. He let go of Sirius' hair and grabbed Sirius' shoulders, making him turn towards him. "Listen to me. I am not going to forget how I feel about you just because I'm at school. How can I prove to you -"

"I believe you," Sirius interrupted. "You don't have to prove anything to me. I believe you. I just let myself get scared because... I've never felt this way before."

Remus smiled sweetly and pushed his hand back into Sirius' hair, gently this time. "You still want that treat?"

* * *

James was leaning against a cooler, dressed in hospital scrubs spattered in fake blood, when a scythe tapped him on the shoulder. He clutched at his heart, having been startled, and spun around the face Death. He glanced at the heavily cloaked figure and swatted away the scythe.

"What are you doing, Regulus?" James hissed. "Leave me alone."

Regulus pulled back his hood and stepped towards James. "Your little idea has failed. I just saw Remus and my brother come down stairs and they don't look _worried_."

James waved his hand carelessly and shook his head. "They might look okay now, but Sirius is really insecure when you get past the attitude. He'll crack. I know it. He's been thinking about what I said. I can tell."

"It isn't working fast enough. Do you want those two to keep on like this?" Regulus asked, keeping his voice down so as not to be overheard.

"No!" James spat. "You think I want my best friend running around with another guy? It's disgusting and I'm tired of seeing it. There's only so much I can do. You have to make an effort too."

"I am making an effort. I have to get Remus to talk to me again, first." Regulus sighed and shook his head. "My stupid plan at the party backfired. I shouldn't have gotten Denise involved. She's a bitch."

"Your plan failed because Lupo isn't an idiot. It has to be Sirius to end it. I can tell." James shifted his weight and spotted Sirius headed his way. "Get away from me before he sees you. I'll handle Sirius, you just take care of Lupo."

Regulus flipped his hood up and darted away before he was spotted. A glance back over his shoulder told him that Sirius was talking to James alone. He smirked and scanned the crowd for Remus. It didn't take long for him to spot the werewolf that was chatting away with a redheaded cat. He moved in, listening to their conversation.

"He was worried? That's so sweet. I wouldn't picture Black as a sappy guy," Lily said with a grin.

"I'm just glad he told me before it got worse," Remus answered.

"So he's okay now?"

"I think so. I hope so. I explained that I have no intention of breaking up when I leave for school. I'm sure he believes me." Remus smiled and scratched his head under his werewolf ears.

"Can you handle a long distance thing with him?" Lily asked, looking concerned.

"Of course," Remus answered, no trace of worry in his voice. "I love him. I couldn't imagine not having him."

Regulus stepped away from his eaves dropping and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. He shook his head and dug through his costume robes for his phone. He quickly found James' name and sent him a text.

**R. Black to J. Potter: I am out!**

James looked away from Sirius long enough to text back.

**J. Potter to R. Black: No! You are not!**

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Okay, throw me a few opinions. I would love to hear what you think. -Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	21. Time Stands Still

**Chapter 21: Time Stands Still**

**.**

Lily stared into the bathroom mirror and frowned at her reflection. She reached one shaky hand up and smoothed down her hair, sighing when it frizzed up again. She tried one more time in vain, before resigning to brushing it all back into a ponytail. She took a deep breath and turned on the cold water, cupped her hands under the stream and splashed it onto her face. She turned off the water and allowed her face to drip down onto the counter. A glance at the clock made her heart give a painful leap.

She let out a ragged breath and slowly reached for a small hand towel on the counter. Lily picked up the towel to reveal a small stick of plastic with a pink cap over one end. She lifted the pregnancy test into her hands and stared down at it with wide eyes. "Two lines," she said to herself. She dug through the paperwork and scanned down. "Two lines means..."

Lily dropped the paperwork into the sink and took a step back, hitting against her bathroom wall. She slid to the floor and pulled her knees to her chest. The banging on the door was lost to her ears as her entire body was shaking in the floor. She was crying, the tears flowing down her cheeks and dripping onto her shirt. Before she knew it, her sister was flitting around the bathroom, cleaning up her mess.

"Come on, Lily. Get up, please. I'll help you, but you have to get up."

* * *

Sirius flinched as an earsplitting crack shot across the batting cages. He grinned when he spotted Remus swaying his hips in victory, his eyes locked on the boy's movement, then licked his lips and turned towards Alice, who was smirking at him. "What?" he asked innocently, a small laugh in his voice.

Alice giggled quietly and cut her eyes into the cage adjoining Remus', where Frank was taking his stance. "Nothing. I can't say anything, I love when Frank does that." She pulled her low ponytail over her shoulder and ran her fingers through it. "I'm glad we're doing this. The whole double date thing. It's fun."

Sirius nodded and glued his eyes back onto Remus. "Leave it to Moony to wanna come do this the day after he gets his cast off." He grazed his teeth over his bottom lip and hooked his fingers into the cage. He gave a small hoot and whistled when Remus made another loud hit with the bat.

Remus turned around and winked at Sirius, then pointed his bat at him with a smile. Sirius tilted his head in confusion and glanced at Alice when she bumped her hip against his.

"That's his way of saying he's hitting them for you. Like saying I love you, only in baseball language. It sort of marks you as his to anyone that may be watching," Alice said, waving to Frank and blowing him a kiss when he pointed his bat at her, copying Remus. "I saw what you did to his cast. That was so sweet. Did you really do it when he was sleeping?"

"Yeah," Sirius said with a laugh. "It was hard to do. I had to hold the flashlight with my teeth because he kept trying to move his arm. I was afraid he would wake up." He smiled at the memory of it and blushed faintly, realizing that Remus had been talking, nay bragging, about him to Alice.

"You mean it, right?" Alice asked, her usual bubbly tone replaced with a serious and cold one. "He's heard that a lot, but he's never said it back before you and if you're just..." She shook her head and pressed her lips tightly together.

"I mean it," Sirius answered with sincerity. "I've never said it before him either and I wouldn't have if I wasn't sure that it is true."

Alice nodded and grinned at Sirius. "Sorry. I'm just trying to look out for my friend."

"I know you are." Sirius smiled back and cut his eyes towards Remus. "Heard it a lot?" he asked, distantly.

"Don't be so insecure, Sirius." Alice gave a small giggle and mussed the boy's hair. "Remus is hooked, trust me."

Sirius laughed and ran his fingers through his hair. He licked his lips and rushed over to Remus as he was exiting the cage. He waited patiently (though he was sure Remus was being slow on purpose to torture him) as the boy put away his rented gear into the proper spots. The helmet had barely left Remus' hand when Sirius threw his arms around the boy's neck and pulled him down into a passionate kiss.

Remus returned the affection, hooking his arms around Sirius' waist. When their lips parted, he gave a bright smile and touched his forehead to the other boy's. "I will never get tired of that," he whispered.

"Of my kisses? I hope not." Sirius raised his eyebrows at Remus.

Remus closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. "I mean, the way you always kiss me like it's the first time." He pushed one hand through Sirius' hair. "It's just one of the many things I love about you."

"Okay, lovebirds, let's go. I'm hungry," Alice said, poking Remus in the shoulder.

Remus stepped back from Sirius and took the boy's hand into his own. "You're always hungry, Alice," he sighed, rolling his eyes at the bouncy girl. "You eat more than me and Frank put together."

"I do not!" Alice cried out, giving a high giggle.

The laughter followed the teens into the parking lot and throughout the rest of their day.

* * *

James was taking his time in the locker room after basketball practice. He lingered in the shower until everyone but Sirius had gone from the locker room. He pulled on his jeans and pushed the towel through his hair, making sure it kept its messy charm.

"Come on, Jamesey, get a move on. I wanna get out of here," Sirius whined at his friend. He dropped down onto the bench next to him and pouted.

"Yeah, I'm sure you have to go meet Lupo," James muttered, turning his face away. "Just go on alone."

Sirius frowned at James for once again calling Remus by the wrong name, but he didn't feel like getting into it again. "What's your problem, man? You've been acting weird all day." He folded his arms over his chest and looked over at James with worry.

"Like you care," James muttered under his breath. "You're too busy with _him_ to give a shit." He pulled on his shirt and turned away from Sirius.

"You're acting like an idiot. I am not too busy with Remus. I have tried to spend time with you, we could hang out more if you weren't so against Remus." Sirius moved to James' other side and looked at him with annoyance. "I really didn't expect you to have a problem with it. Not after everything we've been through."

James sighed and leaned back against the wall, dropping his shoes in front of him. "I didn't... at first. I have _never_ liked that guy. Lily talks about him like he's so great and I can't stand it. Then you," he waved his hand towards Sirius, "start palling around with the jerk. That was bad enough, but then..." He rolled his eyes and scoffed, shaking his head.

"He isn't a jerk. You see, that's your problem, James, you're so fucking jealous of him that you won't even give him a chance." Sirius hung his head and dragged his hands back through his hair.

"I am not jealous of that fa-" James caught himself and looked away, quickly.

Sirius blew a sharp breath from his nose as his eyes widened. "Go on. Go ahead, James, you aren't jealous of that what? You never had a problem saying it before. Fuck, I said it too, that's the really screwed up part." He hit his head back against the wall behind him and looked over at James. "I would do anything for you, man. You're my best friend. You have been since the second grade when you moved in next door."

James licked his lips and pushed his hand into his hair. "I know. It has always been you and me. I wish life could just be Power Rangers in the back yard again." He sighed and gave his hair another muss.

"James, I don't want to lose you as my best friend... but if you can't..." Sirius took a deep breath and shook his head. "If you can't accept the changes in my life, then we can't keep on like this."

James' jaw tightened and he kept his face to the floor. He kept his gaze down as Peter scurried into the locker room and started gathering up the towels.

"Hey, James! Hey, Sirius!" Peter called out, stumbling as he hurried around the room. "That was an awesome practice tod-"

"Peter!" James yelled, interrupting the boy. "Just get the fucking towels and get out. We're trying to talk here." He stood up and tossed his own towel onto the collection in the boy's arms. "Last thing I want to deal with right now is your fat ass thinking we give a shit about you."

Sirius stared at James, eyes wide and jaw dropped. He watched as Peter bolted from the room, tears forming in his eyes. He stood up and spun James around to face him. "What the fuck was that? James, sometimes you can be an ass, but that was just harsh."

"Like you give a shit about that fat fuck or his feelings." James glared at Sirius and formed his mouth into a sneer. He snorted a cruel laugh and sat back on the bench. "Maybe you do, actually. I guess you're a full sissy now." He pulled his shoes on and looked back up at Sirius with anger in his eyes.

"You're a jerk," Sirius muttered, grabbing his bag from his locker area.

"I'm a jerk?" James repeated, standing up and putting his face into Sirius'. "I'm the one who has been trying to get back his friend. The friend that skipped class and made fun of guys like Lupo." He shoved his hands against Sirius' chest, pushing him back a few steps. "I've had to watch my friend turn into a fucking sissy."

Sirius dropped his bag and took several deep, calming breaths. "Stop."

"Stop? All you can say is stop?" James shoved his hands into Sirius again, backing him against the wall. "The Sirius Black I know would have knocked me out for less than that."

"Maybe I don't want to be that guy anymore." Sirius closed his eyes, trying to block out his friend.

James let out a laugh and stabbed his finger into Sirius' chest. "Yeah, you wanna be a sissy guy. Sirius Black was good looking enough for Lupo, but something had to be done about that behavior." He shook his head and popped his hand lightly against Sirius' cheek. "You're all fixed up now, though. Barely drinking, going to class."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Sirius looked into James' eyes, barely recognizing him.

"Nope. It's a great thing... for him. Who knows," James let out a high laugh, "maybe if I pin you down and stick myself up your ass, you'll go back to normal."

Sirius cut his fist through the air and slammed it into the side of James' jaw, knocking his face sideways and sending his glasses flying across the room. "Is that normal enough for you?" he shouted, grabbing his bag and charging for the door.

"Lily's pregnant!" James shouted, rubbing his jaw. He dropped into the floor and looked up at Sirius, who had frozen at his words. "She told me last night. Sirius... I don't know what to do."

Sirius took a deep breath and let his bag drop to the floor. He picked up James' glasses and tossed them into the boy's lap. "Why the fuck should I care, after the way you've been acting?"

James pushed his glasses back on and wiped at his eyes. "You shouldn't care. But I know you do." He chewed on his bottom lip and stared straight ahead of him for a while, silent. When Sirius started to walk away again, he caught him by the pants leg and looked up. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't break my toy, James. A simple apology isn't going to fix this." Sirius tucked his hair behind his ear and looked around the room, as though the walls would give him the solution. "You fucked up. You've fucked up our friendship and I don't know if we can get it back. You really fucked up with Lily, though."

"I know," James whispered.

"It was hard enough when you were just cheating on her, but you've ruined that girl's life." Sirius grabbed his back once more and stood in the doorway, not looking back at James. "You want my advice? Tell her to take care of it. She'll have less regrets over that than she will over being stuck to a son of a bitch like you the rest of her life."

James buried his face in his hands as Sirius tore out of the locker room. He got onto his hands and knees and crawled over to his locker. He pulled a small bottle from his bag and dumped three tiny, blue pills into his hand. He swallowed them quickly and hung his head, crying.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: What do you guys think of that? Can Sirius and James get there friendship back after this? Will James just get worse or do you think that he can make a turn around? -Jenna**

**Now Beta'd by ANP from the HPFF forums.**


	22. Top of the World

**Warning: This chapter contains sexual content.**

**Chapter 22: Top of the World**

**.**

Sirius sat on his knees at the top of his bed, staring out of his window with his arms folded on the sill, his head rested on his arms. His long black hair was hanging casually in his face; it was tickling his eyes, but he didn't have the energy to push it away. The sound of the running shower in the bathroom behind him was soothing him into a half dream state, making his whole body relax against the headboard and the wall. After a while, the shower stopped and soon after that, Remus was walking into the bedroom.

Remus wrapped his arms around Sirius' waist from behind and laid his head on the boy's shoulder, staring out of the window in the same direction he was. "What's wrong, Sirius? Are you thinking about James?" he asked, nuzzling his damp hair against the other boy.

Sirius nodded and turned in Remus' arms, wrapping his own around the boy's neck. "There's something else," he whispered. "Something I didn't tell you about the fight we had. I left it out because I didn't think it was my business to tell, but I hate keeping things from you." He took a deep breath and pulled Remus closer against him. "Lily is pregnant."

"I know," Remus whispered back, pulling Sirius down to lay in the bed with him. "I've known since she's known. I'm the one that told her to take the test to begin with. I didn't tell you for the same reason. Not my place and all." He pushed Sirius' hair back behind his ear and leaned forward, giving him a soft kiss. "I wish I could make things better for you. I really wish that James would come around. I have hope that he will, though. I've tried really hard to get him to talk to me, but he won't. Not yet."

Sirius gave a weak smile and scooted closer to Remus, his arms closing tighter around him. "Don't you worry about it. I don't want you doing anything. You haven't done anything wrong and if he's gonna come around, it has to be on his own." He passed his hand frantically through Remus' hair, sending drips of water flying over them both, and gave a quiet laugh. "I love it when you're all messy and in your pajamas. You're sexy like this."

Remus snorted a laugh and shook his head, then reached up and combed his fingers through his hair, trying to repair the mess Sirius had made.

"Don't you snort at me, Remus Lupin. You are sexy and that's final," Sirius said, his voice stern, but his eyes full of laughter. "I'll show you exactly how sexy I think you are."

With one smooth motion, Sirius slid his body over Remus' and placed his hands down on the mattress beside the boy's head. Remus smiled excitedly and reached up, hooking his arms around Sirius' waist and pulling him down on top of him. He smoothed his hands up Sirius' back and pulled his shirt from his body, tossing it carelessly into the floor, then drug his fingertips down over the boy's bare back. Sirius gave a small moan and dipped his head, pressing his lips firm against the side of Remus' neck and kissing him deeply. As his teeth sunk in to Remus' neck, the boy let out a loud and wanting whimper, making Sirius shiver over his entire body.

Sirius lifted his head away and looked down into Remus' light blue eyes. His hand moved up and cradled around the other boy's neck gently as he lowered into a slow, deep kiss. He pulled his lips away and licked over them with a nervous gleam in his eye. "Moony… I want you," he whispered.

"You have me, Sirius. Have you forgotten already?" he asked, laughing quietly.

"Don't joke," Sirius said, his tone a bit whiny. "I mean… I _want_ you. I want to make love to you. I've been thinking about it a while and - Why are you getting up?" he asked as Remus pushed him away and sat up on the bed.

Remus shifted to sit proper with his legs crossed and faced Sirius. "I just don't think we should discuss having sex wh-"

"Making love," Sirius interrupted.

Remus grinned and started over. "I just don't think we should discuss making love when we are laying down. We need to be clear thinking." He gave a small nod and took Sirius' hand into his own. "I want to be with you, there is _no _doubt in my mind that I want that. I just want to be sure that you're ready."

"I am," Sirius said, his voice brimming with eagerness. "I really am. Like I was saying, I've been thinking about it for a while. I know that four moths isn't a lot of time, but I love you and you love me and that is enough in my mind. I don't mind waiting, but honestly, I think we- no, I know we are ready. We were friends for so long and I've been in love with you sin-"

Sirius' words were cut off by Remus' lips pressing hard against his. The boy wrapped his arms tightly around Sirius' neck and moved onto his knees without breaking their kiss. He pried his lips away and slid them over Sirius' cheek, not minding the stubble that graced it. He grazed his teeth over the other boy's earlobe and let out another whimper. "Stop talking and make love to me already," he whispered, pulling Sirius down on top of him in the bed.

Sirius smiled into the air and pressed his body down hard against Remus', making him lift his hips up against him. He brushed his hand over the top of the boy's pajama bottoms and hooked his fingers around his shirt. He started to lift it, but Remus batted his hand away. "Moony, please. You know I love you and I love how you look, just let me." He waited until Remus pulled his hands away and closed his eyes in a clear sign of submission. He slipped his hands under the boy's shirt and raised it over his head, dropping his jaw at seeing what appeared to be several fresh bruises.

"Remus, you can't keep letting this happen," Sirius whispered, dropping the boy's shirt into the floor with his own. He lowered his head and pressed several gentle kisses along the newest bruises, trying to fight back the tears that stung his eyes. "I love you so much." He scooted back up and looked down at Remus' face, glad he had his eyes closed to keep from seeing his tears.

"Will you turn off the light at least?" Remus asked.

His voice had been so broken and defeated, Sirius couldn't help but do as he wanted. He jumped from the bed and hit the light switch, then hurried back over, only able to see from the moonlight that spilled through the open curtains and down over the bed. Sirius smiled as he ran his eyes over all of Remus, his mouth watering slightly with anticipation. He slipped out of his jeans and left them laying on the floor before crawling back onto the bed with Remus.

Sirius smoothed the flat of his hand over the other boy's chest and slowly pulled his pajama pants from the boy's body, shoving them away from them on the bed. Remus rolled to his side and gave a playful tug on Sirius' boxers, smiling in victory as Sirius scrambled out of them and threw them over his shoulder dramatically. They scooted together and pressed their lips against each others, twisting their legs together and linking hands. Sirius had to pull away from the embrace and take a few deep breaths before continuing.

"Sorry, a bit too excited, I guess," Sirius said, giving Remus a sheepish smile. "You, um… you're okay with the… bottom… position?" he asked, glad that the room was dark enough to hide his flush.

Remus nodded and smiled up at Sirius, twisting his fingers around the boy's hair. Sirius let out a relieved breath and scooted to the edge of the bed. He pulled open his night stand drawer and retrieved a tiny bottle of massage oil. When he laid back down, Remus pulled the bottle from his hand and raised his eyebrows at him, quizzically.

"I told you I've been thinking about it a while," Sirius said as though it were obvious, his face flushing again, as he snatched the bottle back from Remus.

Remus smirked at the other boy and licked his lips, then pushed his hands over Sirius' bare chest, giving a small pleased moan at seeing him. "How did I ever manage to keep my hands off of you?" he asked, his voice low and seductive.

Sirius shrugged and gave a small laugh in response. "I don't know, but make sure you never remember, I don't want your hands forgetting where they belong," he said, laughing again as he moved over Remus and pressed his lips to the boy's neck. "I don't know how much to use," he whispered, his voice shaky with nerves.

Remus smiled softly and pulled the bottle from Sirius' hands, he flipped it open and put a tiny drop onto the tip of his fingers. A shiver ran down Sirius' body as he watched Remus, a goofy grin plastered to his face. He felt goose bumps rush over his arms as the boy moved his hand between them and slid it over Sirius. Their eyes locked together and Sirius dipped his head for a deep kiss as Remus flipped the bottle closed and dropped it haphazardly onto the bed.

Sirius brushed his hands up Remus' sides and locked onto his arms, lifting them both above the boy's head. He pinned his hands over the boy's wrists, holding him against the pillow under him, and smiled sneakily at him, all the while, brushing his leg teasingly against Remus' body. "I have you now, Moony. Whatever will you do?" he asked, his voice full of playful teasing.

Remus whimpered loudly and lifted his hips, straining himself against Sirius' leg in desperation. "Don't tease me, Sirius," he whined, closing his eyes and pressing his head firm back into the pillow.

Sirius ran his tongue over the exposed area of Remus' neck and let out a small growl. His hands came together and he took both of Remus' wrists into one hand, continuing to hold them tight against the bed. His other hand brushed slowly down Remus' chest, his fingertips tickling against the boy's scars. He couldn't help but smile at the way a fully aroused Remus didn't mind having his chest touched, in fact, the boy was lifting his body against Sirius' hand in an effort to keep contact.

Sirius slipped his hand between them and used it to guide himself towards Remus, who snapped his eyes open and looked at him with surprise. "Aren't you gonna let me turn over?" Remus whispered, tugging at his pinned hands for freedom.

Sirius shook his head and tightened his grip on the boy's wrists. "Nope. I want you just like this. I want to look into your eyes when I make love to you, Remus," he whispered, smiling as his words seemed to make the other boy tense his entire body and shudder pleasantly. He pushed against him, slowly at first, easing into their new level of physicality.

Remus pulled on his hands again and Sirius allowed them to move. He wrapped his arms around Sirius' back and held him tightly, feeling his heart race as Sirius moved against him. He pressed his face into the other boy's neck and locked his lips firm against him as his breathing picked up and his body shook with pleasure. They panted and whispered each other's names into the silence of the night as their bodies rocked together, both heated and dripping with sweat.

Sirius smoothed his hands over Remus' legs and dug his fingers into the boy's thigh, pushing against him with more force and speed. Remus wound one hand tightly into Sirius' hair and brought their lips together, using the boy's mouth to muffle his cries of pleasure. His free hand drug roughly down the boy's back, leaving a trail of reddened skin where his nails moved across and his legs shook with the ecstasy that was coursing through his body. He brought his teeth down over Sirius' shoulder and screamed against his skin, thankful for the barrier that stopped his cries from shooting through the house.

After twenty minutes of passion, Sirius collapsed onto the bed next to Remus, a giddy smile gracing his face. He rolled over onto his side and waited for Remus to do the same before wrapping his arms around him. He slid his hand over Remus' slick back, smirking at the thought that he was the one that caused the sweat. Remus reached his hand up and pushed Sirius' hair behind his ear, then scooted closer against him, nuzzling into his body.

"W-was it… okay?" Sirius asked, biting down on his bottom lip and shifting to see Remus' face.

Remus let out a quiet laugh and nodded slowly. "It was better than okay. It was fantastic." He leaned forward and pressed his lips onto Sirius', giving him a slow and adoring kiss while wrapping his arms tightly around his waist and pulling him closer. As their lips parted, Remus sighed contentedly and relaxed against the pillow. "I was a bit surprised that I didn't have to tell you… anything," he said, giving Sirius a questioning smile.

Sirius cleared his throat awkwardly and averted his eyes to stare at a moth hovering around his desk. "I, um… well I didn't… I didn't wanna mess up." He erupted with a nervous laugh and drug his hand back through his hair, finally looking back at Remus. "I might have… maybe done some… research. Nothing big, just the general… idea." He laughed again and chewed his bottom lip. "I didn't wanna ruin it by being… naive."

"You wouldn't have ruined it, Sirius," Remus whispered, smiling at the other boy lovingly. "Nothing could have ruined that. Just being with you was enough to make it perfect." He twisted his fingers around Sirius' hair and settled further against him, ridding them of any space that dared to come between their bodies. "I love you."

"I love you," Sirius answered, staring into Remus' light blue eyes. "Do you think it will always be like this?"

"Nope." Remus smirked at seeing Sirius' shocked face. "I _know_ it will always be like this. Better even. Everyday, it'll just get better."

Sirius smiled and closed his eyes, humming quietly to himself as he rubbed his hand over Remus' arm and back. "C-can we… do it again?" he asked, opening one eye and giving the other boy a crooked smile.

"Anything for you, Sirius."

* * *

Regulus groaned and pulled the pillow over his head as he awoke to his brother's stereo blaring so loudly that it was making his walls shake. He tried to force his eyes back closed, but the music was soon accompanied by laughter, from what he could tell was that of Sirius and Remus.

"Can't a guy sleep in on his dang birthday?" he muttered to himself as he climbed out of bed and moved around his room, sleepily pulling on a pair of slacks and a nice light grey sweater that matched his eyes.

With a loud yawn, Regulus headed out of his bedroom and down into the kitchen to get something to eat, for his stomach was making itself known, loudly. He dropped onto a stool at the main counter and smiled at one of the housekeepers as she brought him over a glass of orange juice and several muffins without him having to ask.

"Happy birthday."

Regulus spun around, his mouth half full of muffin, and watched with wide eyes as Remus came into the kitchen and grabbed two coffee cups. "Thank you," he said after swallowing down his food. "I didn't think you would remember," he said, honestly. "Actually, I mean I didn't think you'd care if you did remember."

"Part of me doesn't care," Remus said, pouring coffee into both cups. "Then the other part of me is glad that you came clean about everything and showed us what was going on." He sat the pot back on the burner and looked over at Regulus with an analyzing stare. "Why did you? Tell us everything, I mean. About you and James. You didn't have to, you coulda just stopped doing it, but you came clean. It isn't part of some plan, is it?"

"No," Regulus answered, his voice dripping with sincerity. "I told you because I felt guilty. I want what Sirius has. Not… you. I just mean someone to love me, the way you love him." He bit down on his bottom lip and pushed his muffin around as Remus sugared the coffees and added some milk.

"See you later. Hope you enjoy your birthday," Remus said, lifting the cups and heading back out of the kitchen.

The muffin bringing housekeeper walked over to Regulus, her eyes down on a small wrapped package clutched in her hands. "Your parents said to give you this when you woke up. Your mother said to tell you that she's sorry they can't be here today and they hope the gift will make up for their delay at the conference."

Regulus gave the woman a weak smile and took the package from her, then carefully pulled its paper away. He didn't much care that his parents were out of town, they typically spent his birthday arguing with Sirius anyway. He tossed the paper to the counter and pulled open the tiny box, letting out a loud gasp as he lifted a set of car keys from the box. "Sweet!" he cried out, jumping from the stool and charging to the side door of the house that led to the garage.

* * *

James sat at his kitchen table, picking at his dry cereal with a glazed over look in his eyes. He sighed and shoved the bowl away from him, the hunger that he had felt that morning being swiftly replaced by a sick knot in his stomach. He flinched as his phone vibrated in his pocket and brought it out in front of his face. "Morning, Lily," he said into it, his tone feigned with excitement.

_"James, I have great news!"_

James made a humming sound into the phone that one could interpret as an inquiry as to what the great news was.

_"My sister took me to the doctor and he says I'm not pregnant."_

James almost dropped the phone onto the table. He sat up quickly and his eyes grew wide. "Wh-what do you mean? I thought you took a test. What happened?"

_"Well, I took another one. The doctor went on about false positives and hormones. Then he rambled for half an hour on safe sex but I was too happy to listen to him. This is great, right?"_

"Of course it is great! Oh, Lily, I'm so sorry for how stressful the last weeks have been. I swear that we'll be more careful from now on."

_"There won't be a next time, James. I'm breaking up with you."_

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Nice times for Sirius and Remus, a nice shiny car for Regulus (brand new of course) and a big breakup for James. Any thoughts on all of this? -Jenna**

**A few answers to some of the question from last chapters. Petunia is nicer to Lily because the thing that came between them was magic. NO, Snape will not be around. He won't make an appearance until the sequel, along with Kingsley and Nymphadora.**


	23. Bite Back

**Chapter 23: Bite Back**

**.**

It is an awkward feeling to know that everyone is staring at you and not have a clue why, or so Lily Evans thought as she stood in front of her locker after school. All day she had felt that people were staring at her. In class, at lunch, as she walked through the hallways, even now that she was packing up her backpack to head home, she could feel eyes on her. She shifted on the spot and slid another book into her bag, then reached up and tucked her long red hair behind her ear. Her tongue ran smoothly over the front of her braces on her top teeth and she threw a tentative glance over her shoulder. A shorter boy, with wild blonde, hair gave her a hesitant wave and slammed his locker closed, then rushed away with a look of guilt etched on his face. "What is going on?" she asked herself, shaking her head in annoyance. She turned to head towards the parking lot and almost bumped into someone.

"Sorry," Remus whispered, reaching out and steadying Lily by her shoulders. "You alright?" he asked, glancing around the hallways in a suspicious manner.

Lily shrugged and let out a slow breath. "I don't know. I guess." She looked up at Remus and gave him an uneasy smile that even she didn't believe. "No. I just...something weird is going on. I feel like people are...staring at me and I don't know _why_." She threw her hands up in defeat and slapped them back down against her legs.

Remus swallowed hard and chewed on his bottom lip, then grabbed onto Lily's arm and pulled her to the side of the hall out of earshot of the students that were starting to form around a set of near-by lockers. "I can answer that but...I'm not sure if I should." He squirmed slightly and leaned against the wall beside them, hitching his bag a bit higher on his shoulder.

"Of course you should!" Lily cried out, giving Remus an apologetic grimace when he held his hands out to hush her. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell, but that's insane. If you know why people are staring at me like I've grown an extra arm, then you _need_ to tell me."

The look in Lily's eyes made Remus' stomach turn over and he forced a cough into his hand. "Okay, but you aren't," he threw another glance around the hall and lowered his voice more, "going to like it." The shaggy haired boy licked over his lips and stared down at his friend with sympathetic eyes. "Somehow...the word has gotten around that you were...pregnant." He held his hand out to stop Lily from speaking when she opened her mouth, horror written in her eyes. "That isn't why they are staring. The thing is, that was like three weeks ago that you found out you weren't and now everyone is saying that you and James broke up because you got..._rid_ of the baby."

Lily let out a shaky and high pitched whine, her mouth hanging open in shock, and leaned back against the wall beside Remus. "They think... Everyone is saying I...rid...I wouldn't... How can they... Remus!" She turned towards Remus and reached out, steadying herself by grabbing onto his arms. "How can they be saying that? How do they even know?" She shook her head and tears began to stream down her cheeks. "It isn't true though. It was a false positive. I wasn't even pregnant to begin with, Remus, you believe that right?"

"Yes, I believe that. Lily, I would never think you'd do that." Remus held onto Lily to keep her still and stared down at her, the urge to cry himself building in his chest just from seeing her so broken. "I don't know how it got around that you even thought you were pregnant and I _certainly _don't know what has people saying this about you, but you can't listen to it. You can't let it get to you. These jerks don't know you and you shouldn't care what they say." He grabbed onto her bag straps and pulled it from her shoulders, taking it up onto his free shoulder to carry them both. "Look, let's just get out of here. Let me take you home so you can lay down."

Lily shook her head, her face setting in a more angry expression. "That son of a bitch," she muttered. "It was James. It had to be. You and him are the _only _people that knew besides my sister and she doesn't go here anymore. It had to have been him...this is some pathetic way of getting back at me for breaking up with him. He said it, he said that I'd be sorry I didn't have him but I thought he was being arrogant. I didn't think he'd do this."

"Lily, wait," Remus called out as the girl started down the hall, moving with a clear purpose. "Look, Lils, I'm not James' biggest fan, but I don't think that he would say that. It just doesn't seem...logical. He looks just as bad in all this and that wouldn't make any sense." He jogged up along side his fired up friend, trying to keep her from the gymnasium. "Just listen to me. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to confront the jerk, that's what I'm going to do!" Lily yelled as she slammed open the doors to the gym and stomped towards the changing rooms.

"You can't go in there. There are guys changing in there," Remus said, pointedly, pulling an I-told-you-so face. "Lily? Are you listening?"

"I don't _have_ to go in there. I just have to do this." Lily stopped in front of the changing room door and took a deep breath. "James Harold Potter! Get out here! Now!" she screamed, so loudly that Remus reached up and clapped his hands over his ears.

At once, James' form appeared in the door and stared at Lily in confusion. "What the hell is wrong with you? Where do you get off screaming at me like that. You aren't my girlfriend and I don't have to jump when you yell."

"You're gonna do more than jump when I'm done with you, you...you...asshole!" Lily's nostrils were flared and her fists were clenched so tightly, she was cutting into her palms with her fingernails. "I can't believe you've done this. You have done some shitty things to me, James, but never anything like this. It is just...low!"

"Lily, stop," Remus begged, pulling back on her shoulder and dropping both of their bags into the floor.

"Listen to Lupo, you crazy red head, I haven't done _anything_ to you," James spat, narrowing his eyes and stepping out further into the gym. They had obviously caught the boy in the midst of changing, for while he was wearing his basketball practice jersey, he still had on his jeans. He pushed one hand up into his hair and shook his head, confusion gracing his eyes. "Look, I really don't know what you are talking about. So you can either _tell me_ what I'm being accused of, or scram."

Lily was seething at this point and her hands were shaking at her sides, her fists still formed. She huffed out a loud breath from her nose and started to take a step towards James, but Remus put his arm out to stop her. He opened his mouth to answer James, but closed it back when Sirius stepped out of the locker room in his full practice outfit.

"What is going on out here?" Sirius asked, his eyes moving over a confused James, a fuming Lily and a clearly uneasy Remus. He walked around James and stopped in front of Remus, then slipped one arm around the boy's waist and gave him a confused smile. "Moony, what's wrong with them?"

Remus closed his eyes and took a few soothing breaths before licking over his lips and speaking. "Some people are going around saying that Lily was pregnant and...ended it. She thinks that James is telling people that but I told her that he pr-"

The rest of Remus words were drowned out by an instantly erratic James. "Are you serious? I would _never_ say something like that! To anyone! Ever!" His voice was becoming increasingly high pitched and his hands were tangling up into his hair, pulling roughly at it. "How can you think that? Lily, that is horrible. I wouldn't say that! I didn't say that!"

"Then who?" Lily asked, her arms folding over her chest. "Huh? Answer me. The only people that knew were my sister, Remus and _you_. I know that Remus would never say something like that about me, so that only leaves you!" She pointed her finger accusingly at James and snarled at him. Her attempts to step towards him were continuously thwarted by Remus and Sirius both.

James shook his head in defiance and pressed his lips tightly together. "I didn't say it, Lily. I didn't. I wouldn't. I only told one person about it and he's right there." He nodded his head towards Sirius and stared at him with a coldness in his eyes. "He wouldn't say that either. I don't think...no, I _know _that Sirius would never say that."

"Well I don't _know _anything," Lily snapped, shooting her glare towards Sirius. "We can't _all _be telling the truth. My sister doesn't ever see these people so that leaves the four of us. Seeing as how I am the injured party, that only leaves the three of you," she said, pointing at herself then to each boy respectively. "I trust Remus so I do-"

"You trust Remus! Whoa, there's a fucking surprise," James said, scoffing towards the brown haired boy in disgust. "He's just so damn trust worthy, isn't he. Never does anything wrong." He flailed his hands up mockingly and shook his head.

"Hey, I've never said that I don't do anything wrong," Remus defended, taking an unhindered step towards James. "I never claimed to be prefect but I didn't say a word to anyone." He growled angrily at the bespectacled boy and took another step towards him.

"What a joke," James shot at the advancing boy. "You think you're so damn great but you aren't! Lily may trust you, but I don't. I know Sirius and I _know_ that no matter how mad he is at me he would never do something like that. Since I know it wasn't me, that only leaves Mister Perfect." He narrowed his eyes and crinkled his nose to push his glasses up a bit higher.

"You jerk," Remus growled, closing the distance between them. He thrust his hands out against James' chest, catching him off guard, and knocking him back into the floor. "I'll show you Mister Perfect." He balled his hand into a fist and started to lean over, but an arm caught him around the chest and started dragging him backwards away from James.

Sirius closed both arms around Remus and drug him back until he was sure that the boy was a safe distance. He stopped moving, but he kept his arms tight around Remus, refusing to give in to the boy's struggles against his hold. "Moony, please, stop. You can't hit him. Just calm down. For me!"

Remus immediately relaxed his muscles and unclenched his hands, though his eyes stayed locked on the now-standing boy across from him. He shook his head slowly and tightened his jaw, gritting his teeth together so roughly that his jaw hurt. His breathing was so strained, it could be heard very clearly and it was giving Sirius an uneasy feeling. Sirius leaned his forehead against the side of Remus' head and whispered to him as James and Lily started to bicker amongst themselves. It took about five minutes for another figure to slip out of the doors and slowly approach Remus and Sirius.

A shorter boy, with strawberry blonde hair and deep brown eyes hidden behind a pair of rather thick glasses, tapped Sirius on the shoulder, all the while throwing a hesitant glance over his shoulder towards James and Lily. "S-Sirius," the boy whispered, chewing nervously on his bottom lip.

Sirius kept his arms tightly around Remus as he lifted his gaze to fall over the boy calling his name. "What is it, Prewett?" he asked, leaning his head onto Remus' shoulder. "This isn't really the best time."

"Yeah, I know." Prewett nodded and swallowed hard, throwing yet another glance towards James. "You guys are being loud and I couldn't help but hear what you're talking about." He reached his hand up and pushed his glasses further up on his nose, his mouth twisting slightly in what seemed to be consideration. "The thing is...I know who started that rumor." He twisted the hem of his practice jersey in his fingers and stared at the floor. "The person who told me...and I've heard him tell a lot of people...it was..." He shifted nervously and looked back up at Sirius. "It was Peter," he whispered.

There was a sudden flurry of movement and Sirius was inside of the changing room before anyone else had a chance to react. Remus attempted to follow the boy, but he was stopped by James, who had picked the worst time to question him about what Gideon Prewett had just told Sirius. After what felt like an eternity of explaining that Peter had started the rumor, and no Remus didn't know how he even knew, the two boys were hurrying into the changing room. There was so much to take in, it made Remus' head spin. Half a dozen boys were standing around the locker room, all their gazes focused in one direction, on Sirius.

Sirius was being restrained against the back wall of the locker room by a rather large man that Remus recognized as the basketball coach and another boy, Gideon Prewett's brother, Fabian. The dark haired boy was struggling against the hold and growling, his eyes locked onto the floor a few feet before him, where a huddled mass lay. Peter Pettigrew was curled on the floor in a position that brought about thoughts of armadillos, his arms covering his head and his knees tucked under him. His body was shaking violently and occasionally he would spit, resulting in a spew of red being added to an already large puddle of blood under his face.

"He was like a mad man," a boy whispered from beside Remus and James, both of which were now staring at Peter with horrified expressions, their bodies seemingly frozen. "He came in here and started saying something to Peter about eaves dropping and starting rumors, then Peter said that Sirius was the one who started the rumor about...Lily. That's when he lost it. He just launched at him. I've never heard a nose crack like that. It was so gross."

"That's it, Black," the coach growled, shoving Sirius back towards his office. "You're suspended." The slamming office door was the last sound that went through the locker room.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Leave me some love...or not. Leave me something. Would love to know what you guys think of this chapter. :D -Jenna**


	24. Move Along

**Chapter 24: Move Along**

**.**

Sirius' attack on Peter Pettigrew had actually had the opposite effect of its intention. Rather than expose Peter for a liar and the cause of the nasty and undue rumors about Lily, it had served to make the school sympathetic towards the victim of what was being called "a vicious attack by Sirius Black in order to make himself seem innocent of betraying his friends". Peter had immediately spun the situation to seem as though Sirius was trying to make him look like he made up a rumor, which he was quickly telling people he had heard from Sirius in the first place. The worst part was that Sirius wasn't able to defend himself, having received a suspension for the attack and being banned from the school until after the new year.

Despite the best efforts of Lily, Remus and even James to restore Sirius' name, Peter's broken nose and fractured ribs were more convincing to the other students. After the first few days, Remus had given up even trying to argue with the gossipers, resigning to keep his head down and focus on his mid-terms. James had managed to convince a few people of Sirius' innocence, though they weren't much help when compared to the fact that Sirius was, in fact, being punished so he had, in fact, done something wrong.

"This day is dragging on," Remus whined as he dropped his tray down onto his usual table in the lunchroom, then slipped into a seat behind it. He glanced across the table at Lily and raised his eyebrows at her. "What are you staring at?" he asked, seeing the redhead's eyes focused across the crowded lunch room. When he didn't receive an answer, he turned around in his seat and followed the path of Lily's gaze right over to James.

James was standing in the lunch line, looking so casually aloof with his shirt half tucked in, his tie loosened around his neck and his hand shoved into his slacks pocket. His arm was draped around the shoulders of an overly perky blonde, who didn't seem to possess the ability to speak without tilting her head to the side. The two were chatting with another couple, whom were the year below them, and laughing loud enough to draw attention from every student in a ten foot radius.

A scoffing sound came from Lily, drawing Remus' eyes back over to her. The girl was now focused hard on her attempt to make the macaroni on her plate edible by drowning it in ketchup and salt. "I can't believe that he would go with Emmeline. She is so ditzy and that _isn't_ her natural hair color." She pursed her lips as though she had just made a profound statement and raised her eyes to Remus. "Well? This is the part where you say '_you're absolutely right, Lily, he shouldn't be with that bottle blonde bimbo_'."

Remus smirked and dropped his eyes to his own inedible meal before answering. "Lily, there is nothing wrong with Emmeline and she only acts like a bimbo. You know very well that she's in some of our advanced classes. I'm sorry, but you're just being jealous and you can't be jealous when you're the one that broke it off. If anything, we should be saying how we can't believe that Emmeline would date that no good, cheating jerk." He was too afraid to look up and see the look that he received from Lily after his tiny speech.

"You're my friend, you're supposed to just mindlessly agree with me when I'm upset," Lily said, stabbing her macaroni with more force than necessary.

"You're absolutely right, Lily, he shouldn't be with that bottle blonde bimbo," Remus parroted, his voice dry and his hand reaching up to brush his hair from his eyes. "I need a haircut," he said, wanting more to change the subject than to discuss his hair.

"No you don't," a new voice called out as it moved to sit down beside Remus. "You just gotta wear it parted a bit. Trust me." Regulus flashed the shaggy haired boy a bright grin and started ruffling though his bag, ignoring the cold stare from Lily and the confused one coming from Remus. "I just wanted to show you this." He pulled a sheet of brightly coloured red paper from his bag. He slid it over in front of Remus and dashed from the table without another word.

"That was...weird," Remus muttered, looking down at the paper. "Oh," he said, his voice full of realization as he looked down at the paper before him. He smirked and began to read off of the sheet. "The Love of the Nightingale will be brought to you on January third by Milton Preparatory Academy. Starring Charity Burbage as Philomela and Regulus Black as Tereus." He held up the flyer as though perhaps Lily didn't believe what he had just read. "Good for him." He laid it back down on the table and slid it away from him before turning back to his food.

"Tereus, huh? Regulus always did seem the '_cut out your tongue_' type," Lily snorted, rolling her eyes at the paper. "You aren't going...are you?" she asked, looking up at Remus with wide eyes.

"I...I guess not. I mean...no. No, I'm not going. Of course, I'm not going." Remus reached out and flipped over the paper to face down, then pushed it a little further away from him on the table. "Unless...well, if Sirius wanted to go then I'd go along. It isn't like I can't go. Sirius wouldn't care if I went. It is just a play, it isn't like I'd even be talking to him." He made a strange sound that was a cross between a cough and a laugh, then rubbed his fingers over his mouth.

"Yeah, you'd just be staring at him," Lily answered, ducking her eyes away from her friend. "Don't go. I'm not trying to order you not to, I'm just saying...don't go. You love Sirius, right?" She looked back up to Remus and held her hands up in surrender at the of-course-I-do-you-shouldn't-have-to-ask look on the boy's face. "Okay. Yes, you love him. So don't go."

"I'm not gonna go. Can we just drop it already," Remus growled, thrusting his fork into his macaroni. "I'm not even hungry. I just want out of this room," he muttered, grabbing his tray from the table and heading for the trash cans. He dumped his untouched lunch into the bin and headed out towards his truck.

Remus climbed into his truck, the door propped open with his foot, and pulled out his cell phone. Within moments, he had Sirius on the other end of the line. "Hey, you. What are you doing?"

_"Siting on my bed, actually wishing I was at school. I never thought I'd see that day. What are you doing? At lunch?"_

"Well, I'm in my truck, but yeah, it's lunch time. I just thought I'd call and say how much I miss you. I wish we coulda gone out last night like we planned," Remus said, his fingers twisting around a loose string on his steering wheel cover.

_"Yeah, me too."_

"Sorry about that, by the way."

_"Not your fault, Moony. You can't help that someone got sick. Besides, I know you need the extra hours."_

"Still, that was the third time in the last two weeks that I had to cancel. I feel like I'm barely seeing you."

_"Well, you shouldn't feel bad about working. This is my fault. If I hadn't gone off on that son of a bitch, I would be there with you now, sitting in your truck, running my fingers through your hair and kissing your neck and tel-"_

"Sirius, do you need a moment?" Remus asked, laughing quietly and receiving a laugh from the other end of the line.

_"No, I'm good. What are you wearing?"_

"My uniform," Remus laughed out, shaking his head and brushing his hair from his forehead again.

_"You're no fun, Moony, you're supposed to tell me that you're wearing a pair of silky black boxers with little red hearts on them."_

"Oh, of course! Well, I'm wearing those _under_ my uniform."

A pleased moan came from Sirius' end of the call followed by a small laugh. _"Now you've gone and done it. I know what you're getting for Christmas. Get some silky sheets too."_

"Won't I just slide out of the bed then?"

_"Don't you worry about that, Moony, I'll keep you in the bed. I'll wrap you in my arms and whisper in your ear that- damn it! I gotta go, I hear the banshee screaming for me."_

"The banshee?"

_"Yeah, my mom. She's been on my ass since the suspension. No wonder my dad stays at the office all day. I can't stand being here with her during the day. She's psychotic. I'll see you tonight, right?"_

"Yes, tonight, for sure. I promise. I'm coming to pick you up right after school and you can come home with me to get changed."

_"Come home with you?"_

"Yeah, Jeffrey and my mom are out of town. They left last night and won't be home until Sunday. I'll see you later. I love you."

_"I love you too, Moony." _

Remus hung up his phone and slid it into his pocket, then leaned his head back against the seat, letting his eyes flutter closed. The silence of the parking lot, combined with the fact that he hadn't been getting much sleep the last week, was almost enough to lull him to sleep. It would have, had he not been interrupted by Lily shaking his shoulder.

"Remus, wake up, you'll miss class," Lily ordered, shaking the boy a bit harder.

Remus pried his eyes open and looked over at Lily through a groggy haze that his few minutes of almost sleep coated his vision with. "I'm not asleep. I was just resting my eyes. What time is it?"

"Don't freak out, you're okay. There's still another half hour left for lunch." Lily smiled as Remus rubbed at his eyes and yawned. "You aren't sleeping? Don't even deny it, you've looked awful the last few mornings."

"Thanks, Lils, you really know how to make a guy feel pretty," Remus said, letting out a laugh and straightening himself in his seat. "I'm fine, really. I've just been working more the last week and then studying when I get home. It's fine though. There's only another week of school then I can get plenty of rest over the break."

Lily stared at Remus with a skeptic look on her face and scooted the toe of her shoe across the ground. "Maybe you should take less hours. Or quit one of your jobs all together. I know you need the money, but you need sleep more. You can't just ke-"

"Lily, you aren't my mother," Remus snapped, throwing a cold glare at the girl. "Just...mind your own business, okay. I can handle things just fine. I can go to school and work. If I can't handle this then I'm completely screwed when it comes to next year. College is going to be a lot more work, so I might as well get used to it."

"Yeah, but at college you won't have Sirius to add to it all," Lily argued, feeling a bit put off by the way Remus had spoken to her.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Remus asked, narrowing his eyes. "Of course I'll still have Sirius to add to it. Just because we won't be in the same place doesn't mean that we won't devote time to each other. There's phone calls and during breaks we're gonna take turns visiting. We've already discussed all of this. Besides, it might not even matter."

"What do you mean it might not matter?" Lily asked, her words drawn out with worry. "You aren't changing your mind about going to Yale, are you? Look I know that you love him but you can't give up your future for him. Maybe you can get him to go to Connecticut with you instead of staying here. Remus, school is impor-"

"Lily! Stop." Remus held up his hand and rubbed at his eyes with his palm. "I'm not saying that. I wouldn't give up Yale like that and Sirius would _never_ ask me to. I just mean that if I don't get the scholarship then there isn't really hope of going. I'm not thinking either way. I'm just gonna wait for the letter and make my plans after it comes." He yawned again and stretched his arms upward, banging his hands against the roof of the truck. "Ow," he laughed, letting out an exasperated groan. "I do need some sleep. I'll see if Sirius wants to stay over tonight. That'll save me the trip of dropping him off."

Lily smiled weakly and nodded her head, keeping her eyes focused on the ground. "It's so weird seeing you so crazy about someone. I'm happy for you. I really am. Sirius is...he's a lucky guy."

* * *

**A Note From the Author: The tension builds. Regulus has a play, Remus is waiting on a scholarship, the school thinks Sirius is a nut and James has himself a new bird. Oh, not to mention that Lily is looking more green-eyed than usual. Let me know what you think. :D -Jenna**

**For those of you who also read Haunted, you probably know that it was next in line for update. I am blocked a little on it, so it will have to wait for a little bit to get its update. :(**


	25. Your Star

**Chapter 25: Your Star**

**.**

The scent of fresh pine wafted through the Black household, interlacing and twisting with the aroma of spiced apple cider coming from the kitchen. A large pine tree, standing over twenty feet high, stood in the far back corner of the party room, decked in several sets of twinkling, red Christmas lights and silvery strands of tinsel that moved every time someone walked by it, causing the light to shimmer. Piles of wrapped boxes laid under the tree, all covered in red, green or silver paper, each topped with an extravagant bow. The boxes were empty, save the small weight which lined each one to hold it in place. The 'Christmas presents' were more a show, a decoration of sort, for typically the children of the Black family received a large check and a shove out of the door for Christmas.

Orion and Walburga Black were not _Christmas people_. The only reason their house contained a tree was to impress the guests of their annual client Christmas party, which was to be that night. Housekeepers and caterers ran back and forth through the house, readying the banquet tables and the food as though their jobs, and lives, depended on the level of perfection. Regulus sat at the kitchen counter, already dressed in his suit and well primped for the party, snagging the occasional stuffed mushroom or mini-quiche when the caterers weren't looking. A sharp slap to his hand as he reached for a covered cracker made Regulus spin around and narrow his eyes at his brother.

"You aren't supposed to touch those," Sirius said, his voice authoritative as he lifted the same cracker and shoved it into his mouth. He brushed his hand over the front of his suit jacket as several crumbs scattered down over it. "Stupid suit," he muttered, cramming another cracker into his mouth.

"Shouldn't you be consoling your boyfriend?" Regulus asked dryly, taking a cracker for himself and dodging the scowl from a caterer.

"What?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow and picking up a few crackers into his hand before the caterer whisked the tray away. "What do you mean consoling?"

"Consoling. Verb. To allay the sorrow or grief of. To make one feel better when they are upse-"

"I know what consoling is, you jerk. I mean why would Remus need consoling?" Sirius gave his brother a sharp kick against his shin with the toe of his over-polished black shoes.

Regulus winced, then shrugged and tilted his head towards the party room. "I don't know why. I saw him in there a minute ago, he was crying. Wiping his eyes, sniffling, all red. I didn't ask, it isn't my business."

"Why would he be crying? He was fine when I went up to change." Sirius cast a distressed look towards the party room and felt anger build inside his chest. "Did someone say something to him?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask. Maybe he just doesn't like Christmas," Regulus offered.

"He loves Christmas," Sirius argued, not holding back from his urge to stick out his cracker covered tongue at his brother. He dropped the crackers onto the counter and turned away from the boy's annoyed face, then hurried into the party room, scanning over the faces of all the housekeepers in search of Remus'. "Remus!" he called out, spotting the boy in the corner. His heart gave a flutter at seeing his boyfriend dressed in a sleek black suit, his hair parted and neatly combed. "Remus, what's wrong?"

Remus turned around, his eyes flushed with red and his nose slightly runny. "Nothing's wrong," he answered, wrapping his arms around Sirius' neck and giving the boy a huge smile. "I'm...well, I'm allergic to that," he whispered, tilting his head towards the large tree across the room. "Real pine tree," he added, to clarify, as he drug the back of his hand across his nose and sniffled loudly.

"Moony," Sirius whined out, lifting his hands to the boy's face and dragging his thumbs under his eyes where the wet was collecting. "Why are you in here if that's bothering you?" He grabbed Remus' hand and swept the boy from the room without waiting for an answer.

"You said to meet you in there," Remus answered with another sniffle as he was pulled up the stairs and into Sirius' bedroom.

Sirius shook his head in disbelief and pushed the door closed behind them. "Not if it was gonna make you sick." He pushed the boy down to sit on the edge of the bed and dropped beside him. "Are you alright now?" he whispered, once again wiping Remus' eyes from the tears building in them.

Remus nodded and gave Sirius a tight, yet genuine, smile. "I'm okay now." He pulled Sirius' hands into his own and held onto them tightly, then leaned his head over on the boy's shoulder and nuzzled into his neck. "You look great, babe," he muttered against Sirius' skin. "Very suave and sensual. Makes me wanna jump you," he added, the last bit filled with a quiet laughter.

"I don't know what _suave_ is, but if it makes you wanna jump me, then I'd say it's a good thing," Sirius laughed out, hugging his arms around Remus' shoulders and holding the boy tightly against him.

"It's a good thing," Remus answered, pushing his arms around Sirius' waist and clinging to him just as tightly as Sirius was.

"Y'know, you look all sorts of good things in that suit of yours. Where'd ya get it?" Sirius rubbed his hand up and down Remus' arm and pressed his face against the top of the boy's head, breathing in his hair.

Remus shifted awkwardly and pulled back out of Sirius' hold. "It was my dad's, he only wore it once. It's a little loose because I'm not as built as he was," he answered, distantly. "You think I look good?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively and smoothed his hands over Sirius' neck, cradling it between them.

Sirius nodded and leaned forward to meet Remus so that their lips crashed together roughly. Within moments, their arms were snaked around each other, both struggling to hold the other closer than was humanly possible, as their lips moved fiercely and they struggled for breath. Remus' fingers were tangled tightly into Sirius' hair when the sound of the turning door knob made them slip apart and turn to see who was opening the door.

"Oh, sorry," James gasped as he stepped into the bedroom and spotted the two boys still semi-wrapped in their embrace. "The lady said...she just said that Sirius...she didn't say you were both..." He let his words trail off as he dropped his eyes to the floor and forced an awkward cough into his hands. The messy haired boy was was dressed in a pristine grey suit and light blue tie, most likely an exact copy of the way his father would be dressed that night. "Lu-Lupin, can I talk to Sirius alone for a minute?" he asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets and twisting them uncomfortably.

Remus exchanged a weary glance with his boyfriend, but stood up none-the-less. "Sure," he muttered as he brushed past James and out into the hallway. "I'll just be downstairs," he said, glancing back at Sirius.

"Not by the tree," Sirius called out to the boy before the door was closed and his view of Remus was cut off. His eyes flashed and he stood up, bringing himself to an even keel with James. "You think calling him by the right name is going to make everything okay?" he growled out, narrowing his eyes at the other boy.

"No," James answered, simply. "I don't think that will make everything okay, but I'm going to do it anyways. I'm going to do...whatever I need to. I want to fix this. I want to fix us. I hate, _hate_ being at odds with you, Sirius." His bottom lips was trembling despite his efforts to keep it steady. "I'm a total asshole. More than an asshole. I'm a total, complete, first class jackass that should be shot for my behavior."

"Don't be so dramatic, Potter," Sirius spat, throwing himself down on his bed and leaning back onto his elbows. "You shouldn't be shot. A mild bat to the face would do the trick." Though the boy's voice was steady and firm, he couldn't hold back the faint smile that began to creep across his lips. "You could always just apologize."

"I'm sorry," James said, as though it were obvious.

"I didn't mean to me, you dunce, I meant to Remus," Sirius laughed out. He grabbed onto his pillow and flung it heavily across the room, sending it straight for James' face.

"Hey!" James laughed as he caught the assault pillow. "I'll apologize to him. I promise." He flung the pillow back and held his arms out, smiling brightly as his friend stood up and embraced him.

After an awkward and quick hug, the two boys spilled out into the hallway and started down the stairs to the party room, which was already starting to fill with uptight and high class clients from the Black's law firm. Sirius' eyes narrowed dramatically at the sight at the bottom of the staircase. Remus was standing, looking very _suave_ he might add, at the base of the stairs, his hand held out expectantly in front of him. Regulus was standing, looking very tetchy he might add, in front of him, his own hand perched above Remus'. The exchange was quick, but Sirius distinctly saw pills fall into Remus' hand from his brother's.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sirius cried out, charging down the stairs and shoving his brother rather carelessly into a passer-by. He grabbed onto Remus' hand and wrenched the two, tiny pills from the boy's grasp. "What is this?" he asked, staring down at them with disgust.

"Sirius! Stop freaking out, they're allergy pills." Remus snatched the medication back from his boyfriend and stared at him with a look of pure shock on his face. "What did you think it was? You're acting all out of shape about it." He rolled his eyes and turned away from Sirius, then took off towards the kitchen without bothering to wait for an answer.

Sirius grabbed onto his brother's arm and stared hard into the boy's eyes. "Why would you have allergy pills?" he asked, his voice still annoyed.

"Stage make up," Regulus answered bluntly, yanking his arm from his brother's grip. "That shit makes my eyes get all p-"

"Shut up, I was being rhetorical, I don't give two shits about your make up. Just...don't ever let me see you doing that again," Sirius growled, shoving his brother away from him and tearing after Remus. He pushed his way through the annoyed crowd and stepped up behind Remus while the boy was taking a drink, presumably having just taken the medication. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak out like that," he said, his eyes locked hard onto the floor in front of him.

Remus turned around and slipped one arm around Sirius' waist while his other hand stayed clutched around his glass of cider. "It's alright, Sirius. It didn't really occur to me what you mighta' thought seeing that, not until I was half way to the kitchen."

"Wait, so you know?" Sirius asked, staring up into Remus light blue eyes with shock. "He...told you?" When Remus nodded and sipped at his drink, Sirius pulled the boy into a tight embrace. "I was stupid to think that you'd ever get mixed up in something like that. Besides, he's staying away from that stuff too. He swore. Not that he's the most trustworthy but I believe him."

"Yes, you looked like you believed him when you were shoving him into one of the guests," Remus said, his tone a bit more snarky than he intended it to be. "What do you say we just get out of here? I know that your parents want you to stay, but do you think they'll even notice if we go?"

Sirius nodded slowly and grabbed Remus by the hand, using his free one to take the boy's glass and set it on the counter behind him. "You're right, let's go," he mumbled as he pulled Remus from the house and out to the guest house in the back yard.

The two boy's slipped inside of the small guest house and both started off in two different directions. Remus turned towards the living room area where they typically went to drink or goof around, though they hadn't actually hung out in the guest house since James and Sirius' fight, and Sirius instead, turned to the bedroom. A small tug of the hand was all it took for Remus to change course and follow the other boy into the bedroom. Sirius dropped the boy's hand an pushed the bedroom door closed, then spun back to face Remus and wrapped his arms around the boy's waist.

"Sirius, you aren't up-" Remus' words were cut off by Sirius' lips crashing onto his own. He made a small whimpering protest before giving in and cradling the other boy's neck between his hands.

"I don't wanna talk," Sirius whispered as he pulled his lips away and stepped into Remus. "I've just had a really bad few weeks and I could use some alone time with you right now. Quiet alone time."

Remus nodded in understanding and stepped away from Sirius, his hands lacing into the other boy's as he led him over to the bed. "Lay down," he ordered, his voice stern but kind. He pushed the boy to lay out on the bed and quickly unbuttoned his sport coat. With a shrug, Remus let the jacket slip from his shoulders and fall to the floor. He climbed onto the bed beside Sirius and wrapped his arms around the boy. "Everything's going to be okay, babe," he whispered.

"I know," Sirius whispered with a yawn. "I trust you, Moony. If you say it'll be okay, then it will." He rolled onto his side and curled against the other boy as Remus held onto him tightly. "I love you so much, Remus."

* * *

**A Note From the Author: **_**Deck the halls with boughs of mystery. Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-please-re-view. Do you think that James is changing? Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-pleeeeease-reeeee-vieeeew.**_** -Jenna**

**I want to let you guys know that there are a few new banners to take a look at on my profile page. A new poll to take as well. Have a look. :D**


	26. The Cigarette Song

**Chapter 26: The Cigarette Song**

**.**

Regulus was laying sound asleep in his bed on New Years Eve night. The boy had never been much for celebrating such an odd holiday and he certainly didn't celebrate the way his brother did...by getting completely drunk and forgetting everything he had done that night. It was a quarter after two when a pair of hands roughly shook at the sleeping boy, making him flinch drastically and fling his hands out from fear.

"What? Who? What?" Regulus asked, sitting up in his bed and rubbing at his eyes. "Sirius? What the hell do y-"

"Get up, I need you to drive me to Remus' house," Sirius ordered.

Had his brother's voice not been so inlaid with panic and fear, Regulus would simply muttered profanities at him and gone back to sleep, but he could tell that it was more than a simple desire to go somewhere. He sat up and squinted at the boy in front of him, who he could barely make out from the dim light pouring into his room from the open door. "Why?" he asked as he climbed out of bed and pulled on the pair of slacks he had been wearing earlier that day.

"I don't know why, Lily just said that it was an emergency. She doesn't know why." Sirius was shaking with a combination of his worry and his coming down from being drunk. "She said that there were sirens and there's a lot of cops but they won't tell her anything." He drug his hand roughly through his hair and let out a shaky, manic laugh. "Please hurry up," he begged.

Regulus didn't need the insistence, he had already pulled on his shoes and had his car keys clutched tightly in his hand by the time that Sirius had finished speaking. "Come on," he said, pulling his brother by the arm down to the garage. Once they were both seated and buckled, Regulus pulled the car out and turned it towards South Lake. "I don't know where his house is, Sirius, you'll have to tell me when we get to the exit."

Sirius nodded and sat in silence as they drove towards Remus' town. Never before had fifteen minutes seemed to drag out so long to him. His hands were shaking so hard, he couldn't hold onto his phone. He was shivering, having not had the sense or mind about him to grab a jacket before they left the house. "I'll kill him," he whispered mindlessly towards the glass window.

"Kill who? What?" Regulus asked, turning in the direction that his brother pointed.

"That bastard. If he...if he hurt Remus, I'll tear his fucking head off with my bare hands." Sirius took long, gasping breaths, the anger overpowering the fear that had been inside of him. "I swear I will. I swear it."

"Sirius, calm down, alright. You don't know if anyone is hurt. Just...tell me everything. Why isn't Remus with you to begin with?" Regulus asked, having just realized how odd it was for Remus to not have been a Sirius' little New Year's Party.

"He had to work. Some beer and pizza something, I don't fucking know, he just had to work, okay!" Sirius shouted, struggling for breath as he pointed again.

Regulus didn't need directions from that point. He could see flashing red and blue lights from where they were. He kept driving towards them, wondering if it was such a good idea to let his half drunk and fuming mad brother anywhere near the situation, especially when he didn't know what said situation was. "Keep talking. What happened? You got a call from Lily, what did she say?"

Sirius sniffled and wiped his nose onto the sleeve of his tee-shirt. "She said that sirens woke her up and when she we-went outside, there were a bunch of cop cars and a firetruck and that-that it smelled like smoke and the cops wouldn't let her near anyone." He broke out a shaking sob into his hands and gasped at the air as Regulus turned the car onto Remus' street. "She said that she couldn't see Remus or anyone else. They won't tell her anything."

Regulus calmly pulled his car into the driveway of a house with a '_for sale_' sign in the yard, down the street from the cop cars with the flashing lights. The cruisers were blocking most of his view, but he could faintly see a fire truck above them. "We're here," he whispered as he shut off the car and climbed out.

A flash of red was all Regulus saw before hearing his car door open. Lily was pulling Sirius from the vehicle, her face frantic. She was still dressed in night clothes, but had a heavy blue robe pulled over them. "They won't tell me anything, Sirius. I don't know what's going on. I could make out a little of what they were saying, something about _cigarettes not being put out_ and_ have to be in the hospital for a while_ but I don't who they were talking about." Her face was raw and red as she led Sirius back towards her house, Regulus right on their heels.

Sirius was half squinting on account of the flashing lights, but he was still able to spot the only shred of comfort he could hang on to. Through the tiny crowd of police officers, sticking out of the back of the ambulance, was a leg. The leg was wearing a pair of SpongeBob pajama pants that Sirius would recognize anywhere. He broke away from Lily and tore through the crowd of officers so quickly, they didn't have a chance to stop him. His face fell in horror as he rounded the back of the ambulance and spotted Remus sitting on the end, hunched over with a blanket draped over his shoulders and clutching an oxygen mask to his face.

Remus glanced up and threw his arms around Sirius, the mask lay forgotten beside him. "What are you doing here?" he cried out as he buried his face into the curve of the boy's neck. "Lily called you? I'm so glad you're here, Sirius."

"Okay, sit down," Sirius whispered, pushing the boy back down where he had been sitting. "Are you supposed to have this on?" he asked, picking up the oxygen mask and pressing it back into Remus' hand.

"Yeah, they said to keep it for a while longer," Remus admitted as he took a slow breath from the mask. "I wasn't fast enough," he whispered. "I couldn't even find the damn thing to put it out, I panicked. I've seen that stupid extinguisher a thousand times and I couldn't think straight. I couldn't find it."

Sirius made a shushing sound and slid onto the ambulance beside Remus, ignoring the stern glare that he received from the near-by paramedic. "Don't try to talk. Just take it easy." He glanced back up at the paramedic with questioning eyes and put his arm around Remus' shoulders.

The paramedic sighed and glanced around him for signs of anyone that may be listening in. "He inhaled too much smoke. He...well he was in the house too long. No one saw the smoke until the kid got the door open and by that time, he was in there for a while," the man nodded towards Remus to indicate who he meant by '_the kid_'. "The mom's alright. She's a little shaken up, but he'll have to be in the hosp-"

"Whoa, who he? Who was in the ho...you mean Jeffery?" Sirius asked, his face contorting with disgust. "I don't give a fuck about that lousy piece...I don't care. Why is Remus wearing this thing?" he asked, lifting the hose on the mask.

"He was in there too long too," the paramedic answered. "He woulda been just fine if he had...well he got her out okay. Small woman, I guess it wasn't too hard for him to carry her."

"Your mom?" Sirius asked, turning towards Remus. "You _carried_ your mom?"

Remus shook his head and took a deep breath before moving the mask away. "I dragged her. She was in the living room, it wasn't...it wasn't hard. She's kinda light and she was awake a little, but...he was out cold. I had to drag him from the bedroom." He put the mask back over his mouth and leaned against Sirius, cuddling into the boy.

Sirius stared at the top of Remus' head, horror struck. "You went back inside that house...full of smoke to...to drag..." He couldn't even finish his words he was so flustered at what he was hearing. He pressed his face against the top of Remus' hair and gagged at the overwhelming smoke smell. "Why would you put yourself in danger to save that son of a bitch? Remus are you crazy?" he sobbed out, his tears falling over the boy's hair.

"It was really brave," the paramedic offered as he fitted Remus with a blood pressure cuff.

"It was really _stupid_," Sirius argued, pushing Remus away from him. He grabbed the boy's face into his hands and locked his grey eyes onto the other boy's. "Why? Why the hell would you do something like that? You shoulda left him in there to die, Remus. It would be no better than he deserved and instead you p-"

"I'm not a killer, Sirius," Remus breathed out, trying to pull his arm away from the grip of the paramedic.

"Killer? Remus that doesn't make you a killer. It is one thing to risk yourself a little to save your mom, but to save _him_! After the hell he has put you through. After this," Sirius cried out, thrusting his hand hard against Remus chest just above his heart where he knew a large, old scar sat on the boy's skin. "He deserved to die in there. He deserved a lot worse."

Remus recoiled back from Sirius and shook his head slowly at the boy. "You think I could look at myself in the mirror again if I just stood there and...watched as someone died? I don't care who it is, I don't care what he's done to me, not doing anything to help is just as bad as do-"

"No it isn't! Why don't you see that?" Sirius tugged at his hair and shook his head at Remus, tears pouring over his cheeks and soaking down onto his shirt. The cold chill in the air had him shivering so hard that his teeth were banging together and his hands were shaking. "I can't believe that you did something so stupid. I can't believe that I alm-"

"Go home," Remus whispered, looking up at Sirius with hurt in his eyes. "You're drunk and you're about to say a lot of things that you are going to regret later and I'm saving you the trouble of coming up with an apology. Go home. Sleep that shit off and then you can tell me how stupid I am when you're sober."

"Remus you know that I didn't mean it like th-"

"I said go home!" Remus shouted, making the paramedic clutch at the boy in an effort to keep him calm.

"Either you leave," the paramedic hissed, nodding towards the nearest police officer as a way of finishing his sentence.

Sirius threw his hands up in defeat and backed away from the ambulance, turning around after a few feet. He stormed back towards Lily's house and gasped as he was grabbed by the red-head. He knew that Lily was speaking, but his ears were ringing so loudly from anger, he couldn't make a word she was saying. "Just back off, Evans," he cried, pushing the girl away from him. He threw himself down onto the front stoop of Lily's house and buried his face in his hands. "I'm such an idiot. Why am I such an idiot. He coulda died and now I've made him so mad that I can't even be with him," he sobbed out, his shoulders shaking more from the crying than the cold.

"You're not an idiot," Remus whispered as he dropped himself onto the stoop next to Sirius. He pulled the boy into his arms and lifted him back to his feet. "Come to the hospital with me. That guy is saying I have to go in and have some stupid scan before he'll clear me." He turned Sirius in his arms and stared deep into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Sirius. I was scared, I still am. I feel like I'm going to break down and I know that it was stupid, but I wasn't thinking that way. I wasn't thinking about what he has done, I was just going on adrenaline and doing what my body pushed me to do. I wasn't thinking at all and I shouldn't have yelled at you, but I just...I'm scared, I'm still scared. I've never been so terrified in my entire life as I was when I saw that smoke. Sirius, I'm so sorry." He wrapped his arms around the other boy's neck and clung tightly to him as he sobbed onto the boy's shoulder.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: You can probably see why I went so light on the drama in the last chapter. So, let me know what you think of the chapter. What do you think of what Remus did? Was he stupid as they both seem to agree or do you think that it was the right thing to do? How do you think that this is going to affect the situation with Jeffrey? Leave me some thoughts. :D -Jenna**


	27. Straitjacket Feeling

**Warning: This chapter contains sexual content.**

**Chapter 27: Straitjacket Feeling**

**.**

"Sirius, this is the _worst_ birthday party you've ever had!" James Potter cried out as he stepped into the guest house of Sirius' place and pulled a blonde in behind him. He was dressed in a loose pair of jeans and an overly large tee-shirt with _Milton Preparatory Academy_ written on the front. One hand was shoved into his messy black hair as his hazel, bespectacled, eyes swept over the room. His other hand was laced with the fingers of Emmeline Vance, the perky and falsely ditzy blonde that had set Lily's jealousy bone into hyper drive.

Emmeline was wearing a much too short white skirt and a light pink blouse. Her blonde locks were falling over her shoulders, smooth and straight. The hand not held into James' was holding a gift bag that happened to be bottle sized. "James, don't be mean. It isn't a party, he just wants something small," she whispered, looking around the guest house for any sign of the person of honour.

Sirius dashed out of the bedroom of the guest house and frowned at James. His long, messy hair was still soaked through, as he had only showered about ten minutes prior, and he was dressed in a pair of dark jeans with the knee torn from one side and a tight fitting, light blue tee-shirt. "Shut up! It isn't supposed to be a party, it is just a few friends," he said with a laugh. "And Emmeline," he added, winking playfully at the girl when she pretended to be offended. "You know I'm kidding with you." His grey eyes lit up when he spotted the bag in her hands and he gave the girl an overly large smile. "Is that for me?" he asked, batting his lashes.

James rolled his eyes at Sirius and snagged the bag from Emmeline's hand. "Of course it is," he huffed. "I should take it away, though. _Clearly_, you don't know how to have fun anymore. You're eighteen now, man, you should be having a party so loud the neighboring towns call the cops to complain. Lupin is turning you into a adult, I don't like it," he huffed, grinning at Sirius to show he was merely kidding around.

"I am doing no such thing!" Remus argued as he stepped into the doorway of the guest house, holding two large pizza boxes. His shaggy, brown hair was parted down the middle, though was working its way back forward in an effort to resume its former styling. He was still dressed in his black slacks and polo shirt with the _Antonio's Pizza_ logo on the pocket. "I tried to get him to have a party, but he wouldn't have any of it." He gave Emmeline a warm, though fake, smile and hurried over to Sirius, a small gift box clutched in his hand under the pizzas. He dropped the food boxes onto the counter, then wrapped his arms around the boy's neck and brought their lips together in a soft kiss, quickly stepping away for James' sake.

Things had gotten better with James over the last two weeks, but Remus knew better than to think that everything could be completely forgotten and comfortable after only such a short time. This was proved by the small flinch and the quick turn away James made in response to the display of affection. Though the boy looked back to Sirius straight away, his reaction didn't go unnoticed, it did however, go unmentioned. Sirius pulled the gift bag from James' hand and let it drop away from a large bottle of Firewhiskey.

"See, we can have our own little party," Sirius said, wiggling the bottle. "Just give us a minute first." He put up his finger to signal for James to wait, then took Remus' hand and pulled him into the bedroom, making sure to close the door behind them. He quickly slipped his hands to cradle the other boy's neck and leaned into him with a passionate, deep kiss. "Much better," he whispered against the boy's lips. "It still bugs him a little, but I know he'll get used to it." He let his hands brush over Remus' shoulders and grab onto the boy's hands. "What's this?" he asked, noticing the tiny box Remus held.

Remus grinned and held the box up to Sirius' eye level. "Happy birthday."

Sirius frowned and snatched the box from Remus' hand. "I told you not to get me anything," he huffed, though he couldn't contain the tiny smile that was threatening his lips. "What is it?" he asked as he moved over to the bed and sat down on the edge.

With a small chuckle, Remus moved over to the bed and sat down next to Sirius. "Well, it is one of those new, weird kind of gifts that you have to unwrap in order to see what's inside. Absolutely crazy, huh?"

Sirius gave the other boy a playful shove and tore open the wrapping on the tiny box. He pulled the lid off and tossed the mess behind him, onto the bed, then stared down at a folded sheet of paper inside the box. "What is it?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. He pulled out the paper and slowly unfolded it, growing more confused by the second. "It's a gift certificate slip? To...what is Hagrid's Hut?" he stared over at Remus with wide eyes and was taken aback by the boy's wide grin.

"Hagrid's Hut came highly recommended by Frank. He got all of his tattoos done there and he says that the guy is really nice and professional." Remus nodded, slowly, doing his best to keep from laughing at Sirius' confusion.

"Ta...tattoos? You said tattoos. This is a tattoo parlor?" Sirius let out a giddy laugh and licked over his lips. When Remus nodded, Sirius jumped up and tore out of the room, still letting out the slightly manic laugh. He dashed back into the kitchen area and pointed his finger at James, who was looking rather guilty with a slice of pepperoni pizza clutched in his hands.

James tossed the pizza slice back into the box and smiled. "I was hungry."

"I told him to wait," Emmeline added.

"Thanks," James muttered, shooting the girl a glare.

"I don't care about the stupid pizza. Look at this!" Sirius shoved the gift certificate slip into James' face and bounced happily. "Turning me into an adult, my ass! Remus just got me a tattoo!"

James grabbed onto Sirius' wrist and pulled the paper away so that he could look at it properly. "I'll be damned, he sure did. I never woulda thought..." he trailed off as he turned back to the pizza box and snagged his slice back. "That's pretty cool, Lupin," he said when Remus came back into the room.

"I know," Remus said with a smirk. He slid his arms around Sirius' waist from behind and pressed his face into the boy's neck, while Sirius stared in awe at the slip of paper. "When do you wanna go?"

"Tomorrow!" Sirius yelled, his excitement getting the better of him. "Yeah, tomorrow. What time does it open? Ah, it doesn't matter right now, let's get drunk and eat some pizza." He folded up the slip and stashed it into his wallet, the turned around in Remus' arms. "Thank you so much. That was just...I can't describe it. It's really cool." He tugged on the hem of Remus' shirt and pulled him over to the counter.

After the four of them managed to scarf down the two large pizzas, including Emmeline, who actually ate six slices, they headed into the living room area and Sirius passed out shot glasses to everyone. Three shots in and Emmeline was out of the game. The blonde handed in her glass and laid over against James with a goofy grin on her face. The boys continued on and chatted about how much it reminded them of old times, back before two of them had taken to dating each other. Being the birthday boy, Sirius was allowed the last few shots of the bottle and was happy for it.

"You guys...you guys are jus' great!" Sirius said, his arms flailing out a bit more than needed. "I love you guys. Well...I loves James like a brother guy then Moony likes my forever guy." He gave Remus a huge grin and threw his arm around the boy's shoulders. "You're my forever guy, right?" he asked, staring at the boy with doe eyes.

Remus shifted on the couch to face Sirius more and nodded at him. "I'm your forever guy," he whispered, letting his eyes close. He cuddled against Sirius' chest and wrapped his arms around the boy's waist. "I'm your sleepy forever guy," he corrected with a quiet laugh.

Sirius smirked at the top of Remus' head and rubbed his hand over the boy's back. "You can go to sleep, Moony," he slurred out as he lifted his hand and passed it gently through Remus' hair.

"We should go," James announced, quietly. He nudged Emmeline to get her attention, as the girl was half asleep, herself. "We're going back to my house, baby," he whispered to her. "Sirius...happy birthday, man. Call me before you leave tomorrow, I'd like to go. Y'know, just the three of us."

A huge smile spread across Sirius' face and he nodded eagerly at James. He shifted out from under Remus and followed James and Emmeline to the door. "Be careful," he said, giving them a clumsy wave. He pushed the door closed and flipped the lock on it, then stumbled his way back towards the couch. "Lez go to the bed," he said, using his hand to beckon Remus to the bedroom. He threw himself on the bed, laying on his stomach, and pushed the wrapping paper onto the floor without a care. "Moony!"

"I'm right here, don't yell," Remus groaned as he stepped up behind Sirius and put his hands on the bed. "You look sexy." He gave the other boy a grin and dropped heavily onto the bed beside him. "If I wasn't tired and full of drink, I'd...I'd give you another birthday treat." He made a playful growl and rolled over onto his back.

"You look sexy," Sirius copied, letting out a drunken laugh.

"You aren't even looking at me."

"I don't haff to be lookin' at you. I jus' know that you do," Sirius argued. He sat up on his elbows and scooted towards Remus on the bed. He slid his hand up the boy's leg and pushed it under his shirt. "Don't go to sleep, I wanna play," he whispered. He climbed up onto his knees and pulled Remus' shirt from him with a flourish. He spun the shirt around his hand and threw it across the room, then grinned down at Remus.

"You wanna play? You were tired a minute ago," Remus laughed out. He reached his arms out and let his hands fall onto Sirius' hips, then pulled the boy's leg over his waist to straddle him. "I guess we can play. You are the birthday boy."

"Not anymore. Iz three." Sirius pointed towards the small clock radio on the nightstand beside the bed, which read 3:17. "I wanna play anyways," he added, quickly.

Remus gave the other boy a sleepy smile and pushed his hands under his shirt. He lifted it from him, then fell back onto the bed, still holding the shirt. "What do you wanna do?" he asked, dropping the shirt onto the floor beside him.

Sirius twisted his lips in thought and tapped his finger on his lips. "I wanna...I wanna..." He trailed off with a gasp and looked down at Remus with a sheepish smile. "I wanna have sex, but I wanna be on bottom. I'm never on bottom and iz my turn," he said, nodding as though someone was protesting his words.

"Okay!" Remus said, quickly, his eyebrows raising and his whole face becoming much more awake. He grazed his teeth over his bottom lip and let his fingers trail over Sirius' bare chest and play across his stomach. He stared up into the boy's grey eyes and gave him an adoring smile, then pushed the boy from his lap.

Sirius laid out flat on the bed and flashed a nervous smile as Remus got onto his knees and lowered his hands to the boy's jeans button. Remus' fingers slowly unbuttoned the other boy's pants and slid them down over his hips. He leaned over and pressed his lips onto Sirius', engaging him in a slow, gentle kiss, taking his time in showing his affection. He licked over the boy's bottom lip and nibbled at it gently, then pulled back and finished his work of ridding Sirius from his pants. He pushed the boy's jeans into the floor and made quick work of doing the same with his own pants.

Sirius wrapped his arms around the other boy's neck and pulled him down into another kiss, this time a much deeper and intense one. He pushed one hand through Remus' hair, tugging at it and twisting it around his fingers. Remus moaned softly into Sirius' mouth and shifted to lay flat on top of him. He kissed back with an eagerness and pushed one hand behind the boy's neck, tipping his head back slightly. He broke his lips away and brought them down onto the other boy's exposed neck, then kissed over the flesh, gently.

"We can't do this right now," Remus whispered against Sirius skin.

"Why not?" Sirius whined.

Remus smiled and moved over to lay beside Sirius. He let one arm rest over the boy's waist and cuddled against his side. "You're kinda drunk and I'm kinda drunk. We shouldn't do anything new," he whispered. His words were followed with a loud yawn and a quiet laugh. "Plus, there's that. I don't think I could do it."

Sirius whined a little longer before heaving a sigh and wrapping his arms around Remus' body. "Okay, Moony." He closed his eyes and listened to the boy's steady breathing for a minute before speaking again. "I want you to move in," he whispered.

"Your parents would never let me move in," Remus answered, yawning again.

"We c-could get our own place. I could get a job too...and we could have our own place," Sirius argued. "Don't you wanna...don't you want to live with me? Get out of that house?"

"I would love that, Sirius. It just isn't going to happen anytime soon." Remus lifted his head and pressed his lips gently against the other boy's. "It'll happen, babe. I promise we'll have a place of our own one day. When I'm out of school and doing my residency and you're having to support us with your job as a...a...whatever the hell you're gonna be one day, then we'll have our own place."

"With two bathroom sinks?"

Remus nodded and laughed quietly. "You remember that?"

"Of course, I do!" Sirius cried out, looking rather offended. He pulled out of Remus' hold and sat up on his knees. "I think I knew it then."

"Knew what?"

"That I loved you." Sirius flashed a sneaky smile and ran one hand up Remus' leg. "You said nothin' new and that you're too tired, but...are you too tired for me to treat you?" he asked, scooting further down the bed.

Remus raised his eyebrows and smiled as Sirius pulled down the tops of his boxers and exposed him. He pushed one hand into the boy's hair and twisted his fingers around the black strands as the boy lowered his lips to his stomach. Sirius trailed a line of soft kisses across Remus' middle and moved down to make good on his offer.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: I feel like this was a rather boring chapter. I tried to go easy on the drama after what happened in the last. Next chapter...tattoos! Ooops, did I use an S at the end of that? Hmmm I wonder who else will get a tattoo besides Sirius. Alright, do your review thing, let me know what you predict for these boys and what do you think of Sirius wanting them to live together? Too fast? :D -Jenna**


	28. Fallin' Apart

**Chapter 28: Fallin' Apart**

**.**

Sirius was leaned back against one of the kitchen counters, scarfing down a turkey and cheese sandwich. He was dressed in a loose fitting tee-shirt in order to keep the fabric from brushing against his body. He let out a small groan as Regulus stepped into the kitchen.

"What are you all fancied up for?" Sirius asked, staring over his brother's nicely pressed, black slacks and button down white shirt.

"Like you care," Regulus spat, quickly, as he wrenched open the refrigerator door and grabbed a bottle of water. His glasses slid to the end of his nose and he shoved them back into place with so much force he actually hissed out loud in pain.

Sirius held up his hands and let out an annoyed scoff. "Whatever. Freak out, much?"

Regulus slammed the door closed and narrowed his eyes at his brother. "I've told you six times that I have an interview today. It isn't _freaking_ _out_ to expect a little support from my brother once in a while." He held up his hand and opened his mouth, fully intending on continuing, but the appearance of a new figure snapped him to silence.

"You can't expect him to support anything," Orion Black growled in his low, heavy voice. The man stood over six foot high and had a strong build. His face was constantly set in an expression of annoyance, this moment being no exception. His dark brown hair was in contrast to his sons' black, but both boys' held his steely grey eyes. He was dressed in a finely tailored suit, he worth nothing less at any time, and he wore a pair of thin, rectangular glasses, almost identical to the ones his youngest wore.

"I support things!" Sirius argued. If he hadn't had such a good morning, he would have been quick to make his escape the moment his father stepped into the room, however he tended to be more brash with the man when his emotions were running high.

"Oh?" Orion stuffed his hands into his pockets and threw a quick glance towards Regulus before staring down the longer haired son. "What interview does your brother have today?"

Sirius stared up at his father, speechless. "Well...I-I don't...I mean he didn't...tell... I don't remember, okay? Sorry, gah, it isn't like he knows what I'm doing most of the time either." The boy made a move to fold his arms over chest, but dropped them quickly and tried to keep the wince from his eyes when he felt the pain shoot through his side.

"I know what _you_ did today," Regulus hissed, defiantly.

"Shut up," Sirius whispered, his eyes locking hard onto his brother's.

Regulus snorted and shook his head head slowly. "Can we just go?" he whispered, quietly, not waiting for the answer before he turned towards the door and started towards the garage.

"Wait!" Sirius called out, following his brother out of the kitchen. "Stop, I wanna know what your interview is," he said, grabbing onto his brother's arm and spinning him around. "What is it for? Tell me."

"I've told you."

"Tell me again."

Regulus heaved out a sigh and shook his head. "Just...don't worry about it. I gotta go." He pulled from his brother's grip and left him standing, shocked, in the living room.

* * *

_"How much pain are you in?"_

Sirius laughed quietly and dropped onto his bed, careful not to lay on his right side. "A lot of pain," he said with a groan. "That guy said that it wouldn't hurt so much later. What about you, Jamesey? Crying to your daddy yet?"

_"No! It doesn't hurt that bad." _There was a long pause then, _"Okay, yeah I mighta cried a little bit, but my dad wasn't around. It was just 'cause I forgot and leaned back against my headboard. I knew the shoulder blade was a bad idea."_

"Nu uh! I wish I had gone on just my shoulder blade. My ribs feel like they're on fire!" Sirius let out a laugh and tugged his shirt away from his side. "I'm gonna let you go though, I need some rest before tonight."

_"What's tonight?"_

"Taking Remus to a movie. You and Emmeline wanna come along?"

_"No, that's alright. I'm getting kinda tired of her. That blonde hair is always flipping around and it just...yeah. Hey, speaking of girls...has Lupin said anything about Lily maybe having said anything about me the last few weeks?"_

"Goodbye, James," Sirius said, dryly. He quickly hung up his phone to keep James from asking again, then tossed it onto his night stand. He sat up in the bed and grabbed onto the hem of his shirt, then, with a loud and pain-filled groan, he swept it from over his head and dropped it to the floor.

Sirius looked down and his ribs and couldn't help but grin. Starting from the front of his right side, just above his pants line and moving up his ribs, towards his back and upwards to his shoulder blade was a trail of small, black, dog paw prints that made him look _walked_ _upon_. "I can't believe I did this," he muttered at himself, with a grin. "I have the coolest boyfriend, _ever_." He snatched his phone back up and quickly found Remus' name, then sent him a text message.

_Miss you! Can't wait until_

_you get off. We're gonna see_

_whatever you want tonight_

_because you're the greatest_

_boyfriend ever! I love you!_

Remus raised his eyebrows in confusion as his pocket vibrated, then dropped his order pad onto the front counter of Antonio's Pizza House. He pulled his phone out and grinned happily at the text message. His thumbs rested over the keys while he considered what to send back.

"What's up?" Frank asked from across the counter, his hazel eyes trying their hardest to see the screen on Remus' phone. "You look all goo goo eyed, is it Sirius?"

Remus smirked and gave the other boy a small nod. "Yeah, that's the third one today. Apparently, I'm the greatest boyfriend ever," he said, turning the phone around so that Frank could see.

"I take it he liked his gift." Frank let out a small laugh and held his hands out. "What did I tell you? I had a feeling he'd like it, he just seems the tattoo type. What'd he get anyways?"

"Doggy prints, like paw print things," Remus tried to explain. "All across here and up to his shoulder," he continued, using his hand to point out over himself where Sirius had been inked.

Frank widened his eyes and laughed again. "He got it on his ribs? Crazy! I've got three now and I'm still not crazy enough to do it there." He drummed his fingers on the counter and gave a small wave to another employee. "Ah, you guys have that whole pepperoni special thing tonight, don't you?" he asked with sudden enthusiasm. When Remus nodded, Frank reached out and tapped his finger on the boy's order pad. "Give me that then. Biggest one you can get. Actually, go on and make it two, I think Alice's brother is coming over."

Instantly, Remus' face flushed the slightest shade of pink and he stared down at the order pad in an effort to hide it. "Theo's in town?" he asked, casually as he scratched out Frank's order and tore the ticket from the rest of them.

"Yeah, him and _Andy_," Frank answered with a slight sneer.

Remus raised his eyebrows and snorted a laugh. "I take it you don't like him," he said, teasingly. He handed back the order slip through the window to the cook, then leaned back on the counter to talk to Frank.

"Him? No, Andy is a chick." Frank shook his head and drug his hands back through his dirty blonde locks. "She's weird, I mean flat out weird. Everything about her screams freak. Even her name is weird. It's like Andromeia...Andromela...something like that." He gave an uncaring wave and shrugged. "Some stupid star name."

"Hey!"

Frank backed up and gave Remus an apologetic grin. "Sirius is a cool star name," he said quickly. "Andromeda!" he cried out, snapping his fingers as it came back into the front of his mind. "She's really weird though. I was all ready to hang out with another guy, but _no_, he brings back this uptight little..." He gave a small shudder and rolled his eyes. "It's all _pick up your shoes_ and _don't eat in the living room_."

Remus laughed at his friend's annoyance and tapped the end of his pen onto the counter. "Does Alice like her?" he asked.

"Yeah. They're off dying their hair together right now." Frank groaned and leaned back onto the counter. "What am I gonna do if Alice starts wanting me to pick up my shoes now?"

"Pick up your shoes," Remus answered with a grin. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, man. I don't see Alice turning into a neat freak anytime soon. Or ever. Hold on, let me text Sirius back real quick." He held up his finger and punched out a message for his boyfriend.

_I love you too babe. I'm pretty_

_sure that there is a triple_

_creature feature playing tonight._

_See you in a few hours. _

Sirius was already snoring softly by the time his phone went off on the night stand. He didn't even flinch at the loud chime. It was another half hour before anything pulled the boy from his rest, and it wasn't his cellphone.

"Sirius Orion Black! Have you lost your damn mind?" Walburga shrieked from the doorway of Sirius' bedroom. Her long black hair was flying wildly as she tore across the room and grabbed Sirius up by his arm. "What have you done to yourself?" she yelled, pointing her thin finger at her son's ribs.

Sirius rubbed at his eyes and tried to catch his balance as he was brought to his feet. "It's just a tattoo, calm down, please," he begged, backing away from the irate woman.

"I will not calm down! You have tainted your body with..._feet_! Are you out of your mind? Have you gone completely insane? What were you thinking?"

"No, no and I was thinking that it's my damn body." Sirius snatched his shirt from the floor and pulled it back on, putting on a steady face for the sake of not making his case worse. "I'm eighteen now, if I want a tattoo, I can have one."

Walburga shook her head slowly and took a step towards her son. "Not in this house," she hissed. "I don't care how old you are, as long as you live here, then you follow my rules. You're...you're grounded."

"You can't ground me!"

"I just did!" Walburga screamed, growing more and more angry at Sirius' defiance. "No more going to James', no more hanging around that garden boy, no more basketball, no more car, no more music! Nothing!" She marched over to Sirius' stereo and started tearing at the wires, her face flushed red with the heat of the moment. "Damn it!" she yelled, though more to herself than at her son, as she couldn't get the wires sorted out. Rather than bother with the effort, she jerked the front of the stereo and sent it crashing to the ground.

"Who's out of their mind now?" Sirius yelled, staring wide eyed at his mother. "You're acting like a complete psycho."

Walburga's entire body tensed with her son's words. She slowly turned towards the boy, her brown eyes narrowing at him. "What did you just say to me?" she asked, her voice suddenly cool and low. Her hands twitched slightly as she waited for Sirius' answer.

"I said, you are acting... Like. A. Complete. Psycho."

* * *

James was laying on his stomach on his living room couch, casually flipping through a celebrity gossip magazine. The stereo was on, though the volume was so low he could barely hear it. Distantly, he could make out a bit of his father trying to explain to the housekeeper, for the tenth time, that she couldn't feed the stray cats that wandered near their house, otherwise they wouldn't leave.

At the sound of the doorbell, James pushed his magazine away and climbed off the couch. "Who is it?" he called out, playfully as he headed for the door. "I got it," he said to one of the other housekeepers as she approached. He pulled the door open and stared, wide eyed, at Sirius.

Sirius was leaning against the door frame with one hand, his overstuffed school bag held at his side in the other. His hair was a dreadful mess and across his left cheek was a long gash, that was sealed only by his own blood.

"What the hell happened to you?" James cried out in a panic as he grabbed onto Sirius' bag and pulled the boy into his house. "Sirius, what happened?" he prodded again, barely giving him time to consider answering.

"My mother went ballistic. She saw this and had a complete fit." Sirius pointed to his right side and shook his head.

"What happened though?" James asked again, pointing towards the boy's face.

"Oh, yeah...wedding ring is a monster." Sirius let out a strained and forced laugh, then drug his hand through his hair. "It's my own fault. I called her a psycho."

"What?"

"She was acting like a psycho. Tearing up my stereo, saying that I couldn't see you or Remus anymore, telling me I had to quit the team and turn over my keys."

"She always acts like that, but you never _call_ her a psycho!"

"I know! I just...snapped." Sirius sighed loudly and pointed to his bag. "She says I can't come back. I would go to Moony's but..."

"You can stay here as long as you need," Harold Potter called out from the doorway into the living room. "I mean that."

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Alright, so Sirius is out of the house and over at James' now. There's a bit of canon for ya, also "Theo" happens to be short for...Theodore! Who you might note is actually...Ted! Yeah. So a little more canon. I plan on using Theo and Andy a little more, just don't expect them to be huge. Leave me some thought. :D -Jenna**


	29. On the Floor

**Chapter 29: On the Floor**

**.**

"Time out!"

The basketball coach's voice could barely be heard over the sound of the crowd, all in an uproar over the obvious foul that wasn't called by the referees. The tall, burly man waved his arms at the Milton Ravens basketball team, calling the five boys back to the bench. James Potter, Sirius Black, Fabian Prewett, Gideon Prewett and Caradoc Dearborn all cleared the gym floor and hurried over to their coach. The boys were dripping with sweat and panting, all a reflection of the scoreboard which showed them losing by fifteen points.

"That was a foul," James panted out, shooting a glare towards the nearest referee. "You saw it, right? The guy practically punched me."

The Coach held his hand up to silence James and gave the boy a nod. "Everyone saw it, that isn't the point. Clearly these guys aren't very unbiased. We need to forget about them, though. Forget about the referees, forget about the Badgers, just get out there and play your game. You are all way better than these guys." He pointed dramatically towards the other team and stared around at the boys. "Alright, Prewett, come out, Rowle, you're in for him."

"Which one?" both Prewett boys asked simultaneously.

"Oh, um...Gideon, take a seat," the Coach answered. "Alright, boys, we have six minutes left in this and we are _not_ out. Hands in."

The whole team gathered around and put there hands into the middle for a team pep cry. "One, two, three. _Win_ _this_!" the team cried out in unison, then scattered to the bench and back to the floor.

Sirius gave James a pat on the back and pulled him over. "Come on, man. Forget about that jerk. Let's win this damn thing so we can get out of here and get to our dates," he said, shoving James in jest.

"Ugh, don't remind me. Valentine's Day..." James trailed off and rolled his eyes, then waved over at Emmeline, who was sitting on the stands, looking rather bored. "She looks like she's gonna fall asleep," he said, faking a smile towards the girl.

"At least she came," Sirius snapped, a little more bitterly than he intended.

James was about to question the hostility, but the whistle called him to attention and the game resumed. Two minutes in and James took an elbow to the stomach, making him double over and let the ball roll out of the boundary lines on the court. "That was a foul!" he shouted, climbing to his feet and pointing his finger towards the offending player. "You have to call that!"

The referee held his hand up to James and shook his head. "I didn't see it."

James' eyes flashed with anger and in a moment, he was lunging at the referee, fist out. Sirius caught his friend around the waist and managed to stop any physical contact from being made. The boy squirmed in his arms, but he held firm, determined not to let James go.

"Get him out of here!" the referee shouted at Sirius, flailing his hand towards the locker room.

Sirius nodded and dragged James towards the locker room, ignoring the jeers coming from the opposing team. "What is wrong with you? You just tried to take a swing at a ref!" he yelled, shoving James towards the benches in the locker room.

"The guy is a jerk! He saw that foul, he's just favoring those stupid Badgers!" James yelled back. He snapped up a towel and patted it over his face as he dropped onto a bench and pulled open his locker. "You shoulda let me hit the son of a bitch," he muttered as he dug into his gym bag and pulled out a small, orange pill bottle.

"I can't let you do that, you'll get yourself arrested with that shit," Sirius argued, grabbing a towel for himself. "What is that?" he asked, quickly, spotting the other boy toss back several tiny pills.

James held up the bottle as though that were a good enough answer, then tossed it back into his bag. "They're prescription," he said, quietly.

"What is it though?" Sirius asked again as he snatched the bottle out of the other boy's bag. "James, this says to take one every six hours. I just saw you take like three!" He spun around and narrowed his eyes at James, then stared down at the bottle. "How long have you been taking these?"

James wrenched the bottle from Sirius' hand and shoved it down into the bottom of his bag. "They keep me...balanced. It's fine, I don't always take too many, just when things are too hard." He ducked his head and wiped at the back of his neck.

"James, I have to say something to your dad," Sirius said. He dropped onto the bench next to his friend and shook his head. "You know that right?"

"That's why I didn't tell you," James whispered. "I knew you'd try to meddle."

"You were right!" Sirius heaved out a heavy breath and put his hand on James' shoulder. "I only want to help you."

"You should mind your own business."

Muffled cries of upset filled the locker room as the rest of the basketball filed in and scattered around the room. Lockers were banged open and closed, clothes were tossed around, curse words and annoyed utterances were coming from most of the team members and everyone wore the same look of disappointment and anger.

"Shoulda let James pummel the guy!" came one voice.

"Yeah, teach his ass how to call a foul!" came another.

Several mumbled cries of agreement came from most of the players, along with another round of profanities and angry mutterings.

"That's enough!" the Coach yelled as he stepped into the locker room and glanced around at the team. "I don't wanna hear another word about fouls or referees. The refs didn't lose this game, you did. Now I want you to all start taking responsibility for what you did on your own. The ref didn't miss that three point shot," he said, staring hard at one player. "He didn't miss everyone of his free throws," he added, looking down his nose at another boy. "And he sure as hell didn't play defense like a bunch of little girls. Now get yourselves cleaned and out of this damn locker room. We'll discuss this more on Monday." He threw down his clipboard so hard that a small crack split down the center of it, then stormed out of the room to his office.

Silence stayed in the locker room as all of the boys showered and made their way out of the school. Sirius and James lingered behind, James in an effort to stall his Valentine's Day date and Sirius to finish their conversation. The boys headed out of the locker room together and were instantly pounced upon by Emmeline and Remus.

"How was your game?" Remus asked, slipping his arm around Sirius' waist.

"Lost," Sirius muttered, throwing James a glance.

Remus pouted out his lip in an apologetic way, then dropped his hand to link with the other boy's. "Sorry, babe. Do you...still wanna go out? We don't have to."

Sirius whipped his attention back to Remus and nodded. "Yeah, I still wanna go out. Let's go." He tugged Remus towards the doors and looked back to wave good-bye to James.

James gave Sirius a weak smile and waved back at him, then threw a tentative look at Emmeline. The girl clung to his arm, eagerly and attempted to pull him along behind the others.

"Wait," James whispered, pulling his arm from Emmeline's hold. "We need to talk."

"What's wrong? Is this about the game? You don't wanna go out because of the game? Right? James, I've had this planned for over a week now, we have reservations and I got this new dress," Emmeline whined, pointing towards her thigh high, strapless, red dress.

James swallowed hard and gave the girl a fake grin. "No, of course not. I still wanna go out. Let's...let's just go. You look really beautiful." He nodded and grabbed onto the girl's hand, then led her from the gym. "What time are those reservations for, anyways? Do you think we have time for a little...personal time?"

Emmeline giggled and squeezed James' hand. "I'd say we do."

* * *

Remus and Sirius walked, hand in hand, out of Honeydukes and into the parking lot. They took their time, swinging their arms and grinning, enjoying the cool night air and the quiet that was only being broken by their footsteps. Just as they reached Remus' truck, Sirius pulled the other boy to a stop and spun him around. He stepped against him and knocked him back against the driver's side door. Remus opened his mouth to question the other boy, but he was silenced by Sirius' lips crashing hard against his. He smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Sirius' neck, pulling him closer.

Sirius stepped in closer and bushed his hands up and down the boy's sides. He pushed one hand around the other boy's back and slipped it under his shirt, resting it on his lower back. Their lips moved roughly against each other's for several minutes before the sound of an approaching group broke them apart. Sirius released his hold on the other boy and flashed him a huge grin, then ran around the truck to get into it.

Twenty minutes later, Remus shut off his truck in front of the Potter house and turned his head to face Sirius. "Still kinda early," he said with a grin. He pulled off his seat belt and slid across the truck as Sirius did the same. "I've managed to get tomorrow off, so I could...stay, if you want." He laid his arm over the other boy's shoulder and passed his fingers through his hair, locking his light blue eyes onto Sirius' grey ones.

"If I want? Of course, I _want_ you to stay," Sirius answered, keeping his voice low for no other reason than it seemed the kind of time to speak quietly. "It's like you don't even know me, saying that kinda stuff," he continued with a soft laugh. He laid his hand on Remus' cheek and leaned forward to kiss him. Before their lips could touch, the blinding light of headlights made Sirius jump back and put his hand up. He hissed at the sudden intrusion and watched as the car pulled into the Potter's drive.

"Guess James' date didn't go well," Remus said with a gloating smirk. He licked over his lips and climbed out of the truck when Sirius made a move to do so.

Sirius waited on his side of the truck until Remus came around, then took the boy by the hand and started in James' direction. "You don't look too thrilled," he said, dryly, as James' somber face came into view from the porch light. "Are you bleeding?" he cried out, dropping his boyfriend's hand and grabbing James' face to see it better. He tilted the struggling boy's head to get a better view and pulled a face at seeing dried blood on a split lip. "What did you do?" he asked, no sympathy in his voice as he pushed James away from him.

James stumbled back a bit and touched his lip, his eyes narrowing in anger at Sirius. "I dumped her. I broke it off and she...she was a freaking mad woman. She hit me, I don't mean a little girly slap, either, she balled up her damn fist and just..." He trailed off and shook his head, still seething from the incident. "Bitch," he muttered as he shoved his key into the door and tried to ignore the looks of amusement on both Remus and Sirius' faces.

"Ah, shake it off, Jamesey," Sirius laughed out, shoving the boy in the shoulder.

The sound of Remus' ringing cell phone made the boy excuse himself and step away from the other two. James pushed open the front door and felt around for the light switch. He lit up the entryway and scowled at the switch-plate. "Every damn night. She is supposed to leave this one on, but _no_," he said with heavy sarcasm. "She's like the worst employee ever and dad's way too nice to fire her. Did you see what she did with the bro-"

"What's wrong?" Sirius interrupted as Remus stepped into the doorway, looking rather upset.

Remus was shaking slightly and his phone was clutched so tightly in his hand, his fist was paling. He reached up and pushed a shaky hand through his hair and darted his eyes between James and Sirius, both of whom were staring at him with concern. "That was Lily's sister on the phone. There's...there's been an accident."

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Bwahahaha...*dodges flying computer mice* One of my rare cliffhangers. Well, it was pretty straight forward. There's been an accident and it involves Lily. As for what kind and how bad, well...you'll have to wait until the next chapter to see that. Reviews are love, send me some. :D -Jenna**

**AAR fans, check out my new Poll. :D Also, the story is being Beta checked, so replacement chapters are only being done to correct grammar errors done from rushing. **


	30. It Ends Tonight

**Chapter 30: It Ends Tonight**

**.**

The bright, white lights of the Emergency Room burned the boys' eyes as they stepped into the waiting room and rushed towards Petunia Evans. Remus was the first to reach the girl, followed shortly by James and Sirius. Remus spun Petunia around to face him and put his hands up on her shoulders. The fact that she wasn't scowling at him was enough to mark the situation as serious.

"What happened? Have they told you anything yet?" Remus pleaded, staring hard into the girl's bloodshot eyes.

Petunia nodded and took in a long breath, preparing herself to explain. "They said she'll be okay. She has to stay a few days, for observation and all of that stuff, but she should be okay."

Remus let out a relieved breath, then dropped his hands to his sides with an audible slap. "Thank goodness," he whispered as he brought his hands up to his face and rubbed them over it. He could hear James and Sirius whispering behind him, but didn't focus on their words. He was more concerned with how Lily even got hurt. "What happened?" he repeated.

"She was...she was on a date and they were driving ba-"

"A date?" James interrupted, stepping around Remus to get closer to Lily's sister.

Petunia nodded slowly and kept her eyes fixed on Remus. "They were just passing that intersection near the middle school, the one with the banner for that new housing development. Some guy ran the stop sign, plowed right into them. He hit on Lily's side. Eddie's fine, not a scratch on him, but they made him get a room and all those scans anyways." She reached up and wiped at her eyes, then hugged her arms around herself.

"Where are your parents?" Remus asked, looking around for signs of them.

Petunia swallowed back air and pushed her hair back. "Dad's on his way. He was a few hours away when I called him. Mom's getting Lily something to eat from the cafeteria."

"Can we see her?" James asked, quickly, his face twisted in upset.

The girl nodded and pointed down the hallway. "She's in room six B. She's not awake though. They gave her something to make her sleep."

James didn't bother to thank Petunia before breaking away from the group and tearing down the hallway. He pushed into the proper room and let the door close loudly behind him. "Damn it, Lily," he whispered, his eyes falling over the girl's body. He stepped up to the side of her bed and stared down at her bruised face and gauze wrapped arm. He could see a bit of her foot sticking from the bottom of the blanket and, it was wrapped in gauze as well. Tears sprang to the boy's eyes as he passed his hand through her tangled red hair. "I've never been so scared in my life, Lils. You..." He dropped onto his knees and laid his head over on the bed, then took her hand gently into his own. "I almost lost you. I know I've already lost you as mine, but to think that you were hurt...I didn't think I was going to breath again. I've been such an _idiot_."

"Yes, you have," Lily whispered, her voice a bit dreamy sounding.

James jumped up from the startle and stared down into Lily's emerald eyes. "You're awake? Your sister said that -"

"How could I not be, you slammed the door?" Lily answered with a weak grin.

"I didn't mean to. They...they close really loud," James defended. "Lily, I'm so glad you're alright. I mean, you're not completely alright, you're in a hospital, but you're _going_ to be alright."

"I know what you meant, James." Lily pulled her left arm out from under the cover and brushed her hair back from her face. "I'm just fine on this side," she said, waving her arm. "All the bruising, all the damage, just on the right side."

James moved around to the left side of the bed and slid up onto it, then took her hand into his again. "I know that it's too late for us, but I want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I know that I've been a complete jack ass and I don't deserve you as anything, not a girlfriend, not even a friend, but if you'll give me a chance, just one chance, that's all I need. I want us to be friends."

Lily shook her head slowly and shifted in the bed to sit up a little. "I can't do that, James."

"I understand," the boy whispered, his eyes dropping down to the girl's hand.

"I mean that I can't just be friends with you," Lily continued. "I love you, I know that you've been a total ass and you've done some horrible things, but that doesn't change my heart. When it was us, just us, things were great. That's why I never understood why you needed anyone else. Was it just the sex? It can't be, because even after we... Was I just not enough?"

James' mouth opened in horror and he shook his head. "That's not it, Lily. _You_ were perfect. You are perfect. Way too perfect to be with someone like me. It wasn't you, at all. It was me and my stupid...everything. Just me being stupid. You've always known the right thing to do or say and me...I can never be the person that you deserve."

"You could try," Lily whispered with a smirk. "James, I'm far from perfect. I'm stubborn and I'm nosy and you very well know that I ha-"

"Stop. I'm not gonna let you put yourself down. I know you have flaws, everyone does. I happen to like how stubborn and nosy you are, though." James smiled down at Lily and lifted her hand to his lips. He pressed a soft kiss to her fingers and let his eyes close. "I can be different."

Lily pulled her hand from James and laid it on his cheek. She stared into the boy's hazel eyes a moment, then slid his glasses from his face. "I know." She laid the glasses on her lap, then slipped her hand behind James' neck. "I'm willing to let you try," she said, pulling the boy down for a kiss.

The sound of the opening door made Lily release James' neck, but he didn't pull away from the soft kiss.

"Oh, sorry," Remus said, turning around to face Sirius. He held his hands up to signal for the boy to wait. "We're interrupting something," he added with a laugh.

"You can come in," Lily called out, smiling up at James.

After a short visit, Lily's mother ushered the boys from the room with the assurance they could come back the next day. The three headed out to the lot and climbed into James' car.

"I want to go home," Remus said, quietly before James could get out to the road. A short argument ensued, but in the end, Remus was taken home.

Sirius got out of the car to walk Remus to the door, despite his protest. "I just wanna make sure you're okay," he said, putting his arms around the other boy's waist as they stood on the porch.

"I'm fine. I just wanna get some sleep. Do you think you could bring my truck back in the morning?" Remus asked, leaning himself against Sirius.

"Of course." Sirius rubbed his hands over the boy's back and laid his face on his hair. "I love you," he whispered, taking a deep breath of the boy's scent.

Before Remus had a chance to respond, the front door to the house came ripping open with a loud crash. "Get your ass in this house!" shouted Jeffrey.

The thick scent of alcohol blew towards the boys and made Sirius gag slightly from not expecting it. He tightened his grip around Remus waist, but the boy pulled away from him. "Remus, just come back with us," he urged.

Jeffrey pushed open the screen door, not caring that it hit against both boys' sides, then grabbed Remus by the arm and pulled him into the house. "What did I tell you about bringing those kinda people around here?" he shouted, pushing Remus away from him with a disgusted look on his face.

"That's enough!" Remus yelled back, his face setting hard in anger. He shook his head at Sirius, who was about to step into the house, then turned his attention back to the man. "This...this isn't your house. This is _my_ house. My father bought this house and it is not for _you_ to decide who comes here!"

"Oh, little baby Remus thinks he's gonna stand up for himself," Jeffrey taunted, his voice mocking and cold. "Pathetic. You're just pathetic. Don't you remember what happened the last time you got smart mouthed?"

"I was drunk," Remus spat. "Of course you got the upper hand."

"I always have the upper hand," the man growled, stepping closer to the boy and sneering.

James had seen the incident and climbed out of his car. He grabbed onto Sirius' arm and pulled him from the porch. "Sirius, don't. You could make it worse."

"He's gonna hurt him," Sirius argued, stepping back towards the house.

James held tight to his friend and shook his head. "You don't know that for sure. You said yourself that the guy's mostly talk and threats. You go in there and you could both of you hurt." He watched the other boy's face hard, hoping that the man was going to rely on threats and yells, rather than resort to physical means. "Just wait. I'll bet Remus comes back out here in a second and goes ho-"

James words were drowned out by the sound of a loud crash. Sirius wrenched himself from the other boy's grip and charged towards the house. He was just to the door when a body fell back through it, ripping the screen from it's hinges and almost knocking Sirius to the ground. He stepped out of the way just in time to keep himself from being flattened by Jeffrey's falling form, but wasn't quick enough to avoid the edge of the screen door.

"What the fuck?" Sirius cried out, gasping for breath and clutching at his leg, which now held a long gash under his ripped jeans. He stared down at the growling man and looked back towards the house when he spotted Remus in the doorway. "What ha-"

Remus didn't acknowledge Sirius' being there. Instead, his eyes were locked down onto Jeffrey. "Does that answer your question?" he yelled. "Don't you dare come back in this house!" He disappeared from the doorway, only to return a moment later holding an arm full of clothes still attached to their hangers. With an angry growl, Remus thrust the pile down against the sprawled out, drunken man who was attempting to climb to his feet.

Jeffrey threw his arms around to free himself from the mess that was his own closet, then managed to get up onto his feet. "You don't give the orders around here," the man growled, stepping back towards the house.

Remus turned from the doorway and headed back towards his bedroom, Jeffrey was right on his heels. He could hear Sirius calling out to him from the living room, apparently having followed them into the house. He could also hear James' voice, but he couldn't make out what was being said. He had one thing on his mind and he wasn't going to allow himself to be distracted. Remus had barely gotten his hand inside of his bedroom door when he felt Jeffrey grab his arm. As quick as Jeffrey was, he was still a moment too slow, for Remus had managed to close his fingers around his baseball bat that was leaning against the wall just inside of his room.

Jeffrey ducked as the bat came soaring towards his head, then released his hold on the boy and darted for the front door. Everything became a blur for Remus. Jeffrey was running out of the house, spitting profanities and slurs at the boy as he moved. Diane's shrieking cut through the air, as the noise had pulled the woman from her sleep. James was saying something, though his words were being overshadowed by Diane's. Sirius' arms closed around Remus' waist and kept the boy from running out of the house after the now frightened man.

"Remus, stop!" Sirius yelled, dragging the boy back in the direction of his bedroom. "He's out, he's gone, Remus calm down." His voice was shaky as he begged with Remus to calm himself.

Remus did his best to calm his frantic breathing, but his heart raced wildly as he allowed Sirius to pull him into his room. He let the bat drop onto the floor and his entire body relaxed into Sirius' arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his eyes staring distantly into the direction of the living room.

"Don't be," Sirius snapped, tightening his arms around Remus and holding him close. "You don't have to say sorry. You did what you needed to." He pulled Remus down onto his bed and turned him around to see his face. "It's alright, Moony. It's over."

"He'll come back. It'll be worse," Remus argued, swallowing hard and putting one hand into his hair. "He's gonna...I don't even know. I've never...and he's drunk, so I...but when he comes back in, he's gonna be so mad."

"He isn't coming back," came James' voice from the doorway. He stepped into the bedroom and took a set next to Remus on the bed. "Your mom, she just...I've never seen a woman so mad in my life and I've seen Sirius' mom after he threw up all over her imported rug." He smiled weakly and put his hand on Remus' shoulder, though only left it there a moment. "She said if he came back, she'd...well she threatened to finish the job."

Remus stared over at James, not believing the words he was hearing. "She did?"

James merely nodded in answer, then looked back to Sirius. "Are you staying or is he coming with us?" he asked, not even considering the option that Sirius would separate from him.

"He's coming with us," Sirius answered, not leaving any room for Remus to argue.

Remus ignored the conversation around him and got up from the bed. He left Sirius and James behind, confused, and searched the house for his mother. Diane was standing in the kitchen, the house phone clutched in her shaking hand, making an attempt at dialing. Remus pulled the phone from her hand and tossed it down on the counter, then forced his mother to look at him.

"Remus...he's gone," Diane whispered, not able to look in the boy's eyes.

"You told him to stay out?" the boy asked, still unsure of what James had told him. When his mother nodded, Remus grimaced. "Why? Why now? You could have thrown him out anytime, but you wait until now?"

Diane licked over her dry lips and twisted her hands together. "I found out something last night. He...he's been sleeping around on me, Remus. I brought it up today and he just...admitted it. He didn't even try to apologize, he just said that if I wasn't so boring in be-"

"Bitch," Remus breathed out, stopping his mother's words. "I'm leaving." He turned away from the startled woman, heading back towards where he had left Sirius and James.

"When will you be back?" Diane called out.

"When I feel like it," came Remus' growled answer.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Ah, there see, Lily is going to be just fine. Leave me some thoughts. What do you think of everything that happened? A lot in here this time. James and Lily are giving it another go, do you think James will stick to his word? What possible repercussions could come from Remus finally being the man and taking out the trash, so to speak? Would love to hear your thoughts and thank you for reading. :D -Jenna**


	31. Why Worry

**Warning: This chapter contains sexual content.**

**Chapter 31: Why Worry**

**.**

Sirius opened his eyes to the sound of steady knocking. He sat up and rubbed his fingers across his eyes, then glanced around in confusion. He still wasn't used to waking up in Remus' bedroom, despite having stayed there every night for the last week. He smiled down at the sleeping boy, who's legs were tangled with his own, and pushed the hair back out of Remus' eyes. Lost in his thoughts a moment, he was startled when the knocking resumed.

"Hold on," Sirius said, not wanting Remus to be woken up by the sound. He threw back the blanket and raised his eyebrows at seeing Remus in a pair of pajama bottoms. He was sure they had both been fully naked when he fell asleep. Carefully, he climbed over Remus and glanced around the floor for his own boxers. After pulling on the boxers, he covered Remus back up and pulled open the door. "Damn it," he hissed as the other boy's baseball bat fell over on his foot. The bat gave him the shudders every time he laid eyes on it, a constant reminder of the one time he had seen Remus angry, the one time he had actually been afraid of him.

"Hey, Sirius," Lily greeted the boy as he picked up the bat and tossed it to the side of the room. "I brought these by. I caught the guy when he was dropping them off." She held up two large envelopes and waggled them at Sirius. "He's gonna freak when he sees these."

Sirius smiled at Lily and took the envelopes from her. "Yeah, I'll show him when he wakes up. He hasn't been sleeping that great, so it can wait," he whispered. "You look great. I mean, you look better. You know what I meant, right?" He blushed faintly at the possible misunderstanding and grinned at the floor.

"I know what you meant, and thank you." Lily smiled back at Sirius and touched her right cheek, which still held the yellowed remnants of a large bruise. "I'll leave you two alone. Um...we should all go out tonight. Get dinner or something."

Sirius nodded and gave the girl a small wave as she turned and headed back out of the house. He quietly pushed the door back closed and turned around to see Remus once more. The boy was still sleeping soundly and the sight brought a smile to Sirius' face. He carried over the envelopes and dropped them onto the nightstand, accidentally knocking the other boy's phone into the floor. With a heavy sigh, he squatted down and retrieved the phone, glancing down briefly at the screen. **1 Unread Text**. Normally, Sirius wouldn't have cared, but the words **From Regulus Black** made him hit the button without thinking.

**R. Black to R. Lupin: Sirius never has to know.**

Sirius' eyes flashed in anger as he looked down at the message. _Nosy_ wasn't a word he would use to describe himself, but he couldn't just sit back and wonder what that message had meant. One glance towards Remus was enough to make him sure the boy wasn't going to wake up. He scrolled through the message history and twisted his face in anger at seeing several messages between Remus and his brother during the night after he had gone to sleep. "That explains the pants," he muttered angrily under his breath.

**R. Black to R. Lupin: I got the letter today!**

**R. Lupin to R. Black: And? **

**R. Black to R. Lupin: I'm going to New York this summer**

**R. Lupin to R. Black: Congratulations. I guess.**

**R. Black to R. Lupin: You guess? **

**R. Lupin to R. Black: Well, I don't know why you want to go.**

**R. Black to R. Lupin: It's a great opportunity.**

**R. Lupin to R. Black: For something you don't want to do.**

**R. Black to R. Lupin: Just forget about it. Are you coming to the play?**

**R. Lupin to R. Black: When is it?**

**R. Black to R. Lupin: April 7th**

**R. Lupin to R. Black: I don't know. **

**R. Black to R. Lupin: Please. You haven't been to any this year.**

**R. Lupin to R. Black: I'll talk to Sirius about it.**

**R. Black to R. Lupin: He'll say NO**

**R. Lupin to R. Black: I'll ask him if he wants to go.**

**R. Black to R. Lupin: Come alone!**

**R. Lupin to R. Black: I wouldn't do that. I'll talk to him.**

Sirius rolled his eyes and slammed the phone onto the night stand. He felt silly for jumping to the wrong conclusion about what he had read, but he was still angry that the two had been talking at all. Remus flinched awake at the sound and opened his eyes. He reached out and passed his hand over the other boy's hair. Sirius batted the boy's hand away and stood up.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked, flinging back the covers to get out of the bed. "Sirius?"

"What's my brother doing in New York?" Sirius snapped.

Remus was taken aback by the question and raised his eyebrows. "In New York? He's working on the Riddle campaign. You...you know that. He told you about his interview."

"Well, I don't fucking listen to him. That isn't the point though, why is he telling _you_ about it?" Sirius asked, his hands shaking with anger as he snatched up Remus' phone and thrust it into the boy's chest. "You were talking to him all night!"

"I was talking to him for about ten minutes," Remus argued as he took his phone. "Wait, you went through my phone? Why would you do that?"

"I didn't mean to. There was a message and I freaked out!" Sirius yelled, shaking his hands towards the phone and closing his eyes. "It said...it just freaked me out when I saw it!" He growled in frustration and dropped onto the edge of Remus' bed. "I shouldn't have looked, but I did. I'm sorry, but that doesn't change the fact that _you_ are talking to him behind my back."

Remus took a deep breath and gently placed his hone back on the nightstand. "I'm sorry," he said, simply. "I wasn't talking behind your back. There was nothing nefarious about the conversation. Any of them. We're just friends, Sirius." He pulled down a shirt from his closet and tugged it on over his head. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Sirius took the other boy by the hand and pulled him down onto the bed next to him. "I know. I shouldn't have freaked out. I trust you, Moony. I just...I don't trust him." After a few minutes of silence, he wrapped his arms around Remus' waist and laid his head on the boy's shoulder. "How often do you talk to him?" he whispered.

Remus considered the question a moment, then placed a small kiss on Sirius' head. "Does it matter? I mean, you trust me, so does it matter?" When Sirius nodded in the crook of the boy's neck, Remus sighed and answered. "Every few days. At school mostly, about classes and stuff."

Sirius ground his teeth together but didn't speak out his thoughts. He tightened his hold around Remus and scooted closer. "I don't wanna go."

"Go where?"

"To his stupid play."

"I know. I wasn't going to ask you, either. I just said that to shut him up." Remus pried himself from Sirius' arms and started to change into a pair of jeans.

"You have mail," Sirius muttered, pointing towards the envelopes on Remus' nightstand. "Lily brought them by. She wants us to all go out tonight. Get dinner." The small noncommittal hum that came from Remus made Sirius growl and stand up. "Damn it, Remus, I said I was sorry!"

Remus spun around and widened his eyes at the sudden anger in Sirius' voice. "Don't yell at me," he spat out.

"I'm not yelling at you!"

"Yes, you are! You just did!"

"Now you're yelling at me!"

"Only because you're yelling at me!"

"I'm leaving." Sirius pulled on his pants, though his anger was making him struggle with them, then stuffed his feet down into his shoes.

"Don't leave!" Remus held his hands up to block Sirius' way and took a step towards him. "No, please don't leave like this. I'm sorry, okay? Please."

"You don't look sorry, you look angry and I don't wanna be around you if you're angry at me." Sirius pulled the other boy's hands down and stepped around him towards the door. "Damn it, my shirt. Where is my shirt?" Remus stood in silence as Sirius searched around the slight mess in his bedroom. The boy growled and muttered profanities under his breath as he tossed aside several dirty shirts, none of which were his own. "Where the hell is it?" Sirius growled out again, his face red with frustration.

Remus heaved out a breath and walked over to the head of his bed, where Sirius' shirt was carelessly tossed over the headboard. He picked up the shirt and held it out at arm's length, then smirked at the violent way in which Sirius snapped it from his hand. His eyes rolled and he turned his back to Sirius as the boy finished dressing.

The sound of crinkling foil made Sirius grab the other boy by the shoulders and spin him around. "What was that?" he asked, forcing Remus to turn out his empty hands.

"What?" Remus asked, his mouth clearly full of something.

"Is that a piece of candy?" Sirius demanded, his voice sounding like more of a growl. "You're eating a piece of candy...while we're fighting?"

"No," Remus answered indignantly. "_I_ am eating a piece of candy while you stomp around like a mad man. We aren't fighting."

"Oh, we're fighting," Sirius argued.

Remus merely smirked in an all-knowing way and shook his head. "I refuse to fight with you. I really refuse to fight with you over a matter like this. Therefore, by logic, we aren't fighting. You are angry at me, but that doesn't constitute a fight."

Sirius stared at the other boy for a moment, dumbstruck at his attempt of using logical reasoning when they were fighting. They were fighting, Sirius was sure of it. "We're fighting. I'm mad at you, I am. _You_...you're mad at me. We are fighting."

"I'm not mad at you. I don't like being yelled at, but I'm certainly not mad at you." Remus turned his attention towards his bed and gave a halfhearted tug at the covers to straighten them.

"I went through your phone."

"Yes, you did."

"You're mad about that!"

"Please, don't yell at me," Remus begged, giving up his efforts of making the bed and sitting down on it instead. "And, I'm not mad at you over that. Annoyed? Yes. Hurt? Yes. Not mad though."

Sirius pursed his lips in anger and dropped heavily onto the bed next to Remus. "You're an ass, ya'know that? How can I stand here and be angry and stomp off when you're just gonna sit there and suck on your stupid candy, _which you're meant to chew_, and be all..._you_?" He held his hands out and moved them flamboyantly with every word, his whole body shaking with frustration.

Remus merely smirked and shrugged his shoulders in a victorious sort of way, making Sirius growl with annoyance and twist his fingers up into his hair. "So, does that mean you aren't stomping off in a fit of rage?" Remus asked, reaching his hand over and laying it precariously onto Sirius' knee.

Sirius dropped his hands to his lap and stuck out his lip, childishly. "No."

"Then...can we have sex? Because you got me all wound up and excited now and I don't think I can just go on about my day with this much pent up energy."

The business-like tone of Remus' question was enough to make Sirius bark out a laugh and wrap his arms around Remus' waist. "You truly are something, Moony," he laughed out, scooting himself closer to the boy and kicking his feet together in order to remove his shoes. "But," he started, holding up one finger in a threatening way, "I want you to stop talking to him behind my back. If you talk...tell me."

"I can do that," Remus said with a smile as he reached up and passed his fingers through Sirius tangled and sticky hair. "Your hair is sticky. Why is your hair sticky?"

Sirius snorted and pulled Remus' hand down from his head. "I think James spilled his dink on me last night," he answered, reaching up to touch the sticky place Remus had come across. "He does that a lot. I think we should ban him from having anything that could result in sticky hair."

"I think you need a shower."

"I agree."

"I think I need one too."

Sirius widened his eyes and gave Remus an understanding smile. "Well, we wouldn't want to waste water, now would we?" he asked, jumping up and taking Remus by the hand. He pulled the boy towards the bathroom and shoved him roughly inside, then slammed the door closed behind them.

Remus frantically tugged at his shirt and jeans until they were a heap on the floor while Sirius rushed over to the shower. The tiny bathroom was quick to collect steam from the hot water and the two boys were enjoying the feel of it pouring over their bodies. Sirius pulled Remus against him and tipped the boy's head back to let the water cascade down his hair and race across his neck. Remus closed his eyes and let out a pleased hum as the other boy brought his mouth down and sucked at his neck. They were pressed together in every way possible without falling over in the slippery shower.

"You're teasing," Remus whispered as he pushed Sirius away from him and turned around to face away. He reached back and pulled the other boy's arms around his waist, then leaned against him. "It isn't nice to tease," he growled, giving the boy a sharp bite on the neck.

Sirius melted against the boy in his arms and let out a half-whimpered mumble of agreement. "I'm not trying to tease," he whispered, putting his lips onto Remus' shoulder and speaking against his skin. He let his hand travel downwards and smiled at the soft gasp he provoked from Remus' mouth.

Over an hour later, the two boys consented to leave the shower, and then only because the water was so cold they were shivering against each other. It was an effort to walk properly, they were both so weak legged from the exertion and pleasure. Both wrapped in towels, Remus and Sirius hurried back into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, neither caring about how wet they still were.

"That was incredible," Remus breathed out, pulling his pillow into his arms and shoving his face into it. "I need to go back to sleep now."

Sirius crawled up beside the boy and let his arm drop heavily over Remus' exposed back. "Never have truer words been spoken, dear Moony," he agreed as he settled his head onto the other pillow and closed his eyes.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: You might notice the new Text Format, I've decided to switch to this method and when the rest of the chapters are Beta'd they will appear this way in the previous ones as well. This IS being Beta'd, so excuse the chapter replacement notices you might receive. The story isn't being altered, only the cruddy grammar I miss when I am tired/hurrying/lazy whatever the situation may be. Now, thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. :D -Jenna**


	32. Night Drive

**Chapter 32: Night Drive**

**.**

Remus would never admit that he always requested to work on his birthday, just to avoid any sort of celebratory situation. This March tenth was no different. He had worked out the details over a week ago and was now wiping down tables at the Pizza Parlour. Antonio's had been pretty empty the last few hours and it was almost closing time, making Remus glad that he had gotten an easy shift.

The bell over the doorway rang out through the quiet room as the door was pushed open. Out of instinct, Remus called out, "Welcome to Antonio's. Have a seat where you'd like." He didn't even turn to see who had come in. After a moment, he felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around his waist and a set of lips press against the back of his neck. "You'd better be careful, I have a mean boyfriend," he said with a smirk as he laid his hand over the arm around him.

"I'm not mean!" Sirius cried out, pulling back away from Remus and gaping at him.

Remus laughed quietly and wrapped his arms around the other boy's neck. "You're totally mean," he said, winking at the boy. "At least you would be if some guy was hugging up on me."

"Damn right I would be," Sirius growled as he pulled Remus closer against him. "No one touches my guy."

"Your guy? I'm property now?" Remus asked with a laugh.

Sirius nodded with a smug smile on his face and held Remus even tighter. "All mine," he muttered as he pressed his face against the boy's neck and growled playfully against it. "Happy birthday, baby," he whispered, letting his hands rub over the boy's back.

"Go home, Remus!" came a voice from the back room, making both boys laugh quietly.

After shedding his apron, Remus was led out to the parking lot and over to James' car. He narrowed his eyes as he spotted James and Lily waiting next to the car. "What's going on?" he asked, looking straight at Lily for answers.

"We're taking a trip," Sirius answered, putting his arm around Remus' shoulders and grinning. "My Uncle's gone to Italy for a few weeks, so he said we can spend the weekend at his place by the ocean."

"That's fine...but this isn't the weekend, babe." Remus pushed Sirius' arm away and scowled. "It's Wednesday. We have school, we aren't going anywhere."

"We're skipping," James cut in.

A horrified expression flooded Remus' face and he started shaking his head frantically. "No, no, we are _not_ skipping school." He took a step back and spun around in the direction his truck had been parked. "Where's my truck? Sirius...where is my truck?"

Sirius sniggered and put his arms around the boy's waist again. "Frank took it to your house. He's gonna follow us up there, him and Alice. A nice long weekend with just the six of us." He rocked gently, trying to soothe the frantic boy. "Missing two days of school won't hurt you and don't even mention work, I saw your schedule. We'll be back by Sunday and everything'll be just fine."

"Frank stole my truck?" Remus asked dryly.

"No...I gave him your key. I had a copy made when you were in class Monday so – Don't look at me that way! You didn't even notice them gone so get in the car and stop whining." Sirius pulled open the door and held up the front driver's seat, then pointed to the backseat.

Remus shook his head again and backed up. "I don't even have clothes for the trip. No. Get my truck back here and stop all this."

"I have a bag for you. I already packed it."

At this, Remus gasped. "My mom isn't home! How did you get me a bag?" When all he received in response was a guilty look from Sirius, he sighed and climbed into the backseat of James' car. "Frank steals my truck and you break into my house. I can't believe the criminals I hang around." He gave a snort and settled into his seat, then turned his head away from Sirius. "We aren't robbing a bank on the way, are we?" he asked, busting into a quiet laugh.

So they drove. Remus cuddled up against Sirius in the backseat, nodding off once or twice as the conversation dulled. Sirius would pass his fingers through the other boy's hair and pull him into deep kisses when James wasn't noticing. They sat in silence for a while, simply holding hands and nuzzling closer; both enjoying the intimacy of the moment despite the close proximity of others.

James and Lily were talking like a brand new couple, discussing things such as favorite bands and foods; their relationship seemed to be taking a fresh start. The trip would have only taken five hours, had James not needed to stop the car twice for food blaming the fact that "Lupin smells like pepperoni, I can't help being hungry!" Every so often, Lily would call Alice to make sure they didn't need to stop for any reason.

The two vehicles arrived at Sirius' Uncle Alphard's beach house just as the sun was peeking up over the horizon and casting a pink light across the ocean. The six teens dragged their bags inside and went in the directions Sirius assigned them to put their things in guest rooms.

"I'm gonna have a shower, then take a nap," Remus said with a loud yawn as he dropped his duffel bag onto the large, King sized bed in the room Sirius had chosen for them. He fished out a pair of boxers from the bag and headed into the bathroom, giving Sirius a quick kiss as he passed by him.

Sirius smiled lovingly and stretched out his back. He figured Remus would be tired when arriving, the others had all napped before they left though, so the other five were gathering in the kitchen for food. He kicked off his sneakers and hurried back down the stairs to hear laughter from Lily and Alice as the girl's hovered over a large bowl and riddled out the proper combination to making pancakes. Frank and James sat at the kitchen table, admiring their girlfriends and giving each other the occasional awkward glance.

"So, what's up first after breakfast, guys?" Sirius asked as he took the seat between James and Frank to break the tension of them being the only two in the group who weren't familiar with each other. "Swimming, boardwalk or the mall?"

"The mall," Lily and Alice simultaneously, sharing a grin.

"Swimming," answered James and Frank in argument.

Sirius barked out a laugh and nodded. "Well, Moony's gonna be asleep for a while, the girls can head to the mall and we," he pointed to himself and the other two boys, "can go to the beach."

Half an hour later the five were spitting out bits of pancake into their napkins, as Lily and Alice had gotten the recipe wrong...very wrong. Luckily, there was an abundance of cereal and the teens soon went their separate ways to enjoy morning activities.

Meanwhile, Remus had waken up in the house alone with a small note next to his head explaining where the others were and giving a very detailed description of what Sirius had in mind for that night. The boy folded the note over and laid it on the night stand, then took a few deep breaths to clear the fierce blush on his face. He pulled his bag over and started sifting through it for clothes. He searched for almost ten minutes before rolling his eyes and consenting.

"Sirius didn't pack me any pants."

* * *

Two weeks later and Remus was still talking about how much fun he had at the beach. Once he acquired some pants, all of them had an action packed three days of swimming, shopping and learning to surf; though none of them managed this successfully.

"We should go back this Summer," Remus said as he turned to the side and put his legs across Sirius' lap.

The two were sitting on Alice's living room couch, waiting for the girl to finish getting changed so they could go out. Frank was seated in Alice's father's overstuffed recliner, playing with the massaging feature on it.

"I wanna go too," Frank called out, his voice shaking from the chair's vibration. "Alice had a blast. She was all...well, let's just say we had fun," he added with a smirk.

"What was that?" came a new, deeper male voice. A tall young man with smooth blonde hair and a huge grin stepped up behind Frank and slammed his hands onto the top of the chair. "I _know_ you aren't talking that way about my little sis," he said with a laugh.

"Theo!" Frank called out, jumping from the chair and greeting the man in the customary guy-high-five style. "Thought you weren't coming back down till next week," he finished as he sat back down and looked over towards Remus.

Remus sat upright on the couch and gave Theo a small wave before wrapping his arms around Sirius' arm and leaning into the boy. "That's Alice's brother," he whispered to Sirius.

"I kinda figured that out," Sirius whispered back, giving Remus a grin. "What's your deal? You look all twitchy, Moony." He gave a quiet laugh and stared into Remus' eyes for a reason the boy was boy was acting shy.

Remus swallowed hard and tilted his head towards Theo, a small pink raising in his cheeks as he did. "He, um...well you see..." He trailed off with a nervous laugh and leaned more into Sirius' side.

Sirius nodded and licked his lips, putting things together for himself. He leaned forward and gave the other boy a quick kiss on the forehead and laughed. "I get it. Do I need to put a sign on you?" he teased. "Write _property of Sirius_ on your hand?"

"Again with this property stuff," Remus laughed.

Sirius was about to add more to the conversation when his eyes suddenly flashed with recognition. He stared across the room at a young woman, in her mid-twenties, with long shiny black hair and soft brown eyes. The two locked their gaze and each smiled with excitement.

"Sirius?" called out the girl, stepping over to get a better look.

"Andy!" the boy said with excitement as he leapt form the couch and embraced the girl. The two hugged as though they were long lost friends, both laughing in the shock of seeing each other again. After a moment, they pulled apart and turned to their respective partners. "Remus, this is Andromeda," Sirius said, his arm still around the young woman's shoulders.

"We're cousins," Andromeda finished, smiling over at Theo's confused face.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Yes, finally. I know this chapter took quite a while to appear, but hopefully things will get back to moving at a better speed and the next won't take so long. This certainly isn't my favorite chapter, but I hope you enjoyed a little bit of humor and some light moments before anymore heavy drama occurs...yeah, it's coming! Thanks. :D -Jenna**


	33. Another Heart Calls

**Chapter 33: Another Heart Calls **

**.**

Lily and Remus crept across the back of the Milton Prep's school auditorium and took seats in the furthest row from the stage. Being in the same Advanced English class, they were on common ground with their most recent assignment: attend and analyze the school's production of _The_ _Glass_ _Menagerie_.

"I can't believe we have to come to this," Remus hissed quietly as he straightened himself in his seat and pulled out a tiny notebook.

"Oh, don't be such a downer. I'm sure it'll be great," Lily scolded as she retrieved her notebook. "Thought Sirius was gonna to come along."

Remus pursed his lips and looked off towards the stage. "He was," he answered sharply.

"Tell me that you didn't get into another dang fight."

"It wasn't a fight. It was a...highly charged difference of opinion."

Lily's face washed with sympathy as she laid her hand onto her friend's shoulder. "That's like twice this week."

"Three times, actually."

"About the same thing?"

Remus nodded for a moment before changing his mind and shaking his head. "Not exactly. I mean, it's always about different stuff, but...but I can just tell that it's the same too. Do you know what I mean? It's like every little..." He trailed off with a sigh and shook his head slowly. "It's those stupid papers. Ever since I got that scholarship, it's been so tense with him."

"Well, I guess he's just realizing how final it is that you're going away. I mean, yeah, he knew before, but there was always that hint of maybe not. Maybe you wouldn't get the scholarship so you wouldn't actually leave." Lily tucked a strand of copper hair behind her ear and glanced around as a few more people took their seats. "I think maybe he's just scared."

"Yeah," Remus whispered without emotion.

"Remus, I really think that. I think he's just scared about you leaving."

"I _know_ he's scared. Okay? I do. I kinda had that figured out right around the time he insisted that our favorite ice cream flavors just didn't go together properly and I'd probably meet another guy at school who liked an ice cream that went perfect with mine."

"Remus...did you two seriously get into a fight over ice cream?"

"No." Remus shifted uncomfortably in his seat and pushed his hand through his hair. "It wasn't about the stupid ice cream. It was about Sirius and how he...he doesn't think we belong together anymore."

"You don't believe that."

"I don't know. When was the last time you spent ten minutes talking about how banana ice cream cannot be mixed with mint chocolate chip?"

"I haven't. James and I both like strawberry," Lily said with a small giggle. When she received a glare from Remus, the girl rolled her eyes and gave him a swift slap on the back of his head. "Stop acting like an fool."

Remus rubbed the back of his head and shifted as far away from Lily as he could get in his seat. "I'm not acting like an fool."

"Yes. You are." Lily huffed in frustration and stared off into nothingness as she considered her next words. "Maybe he's right," she whispered, treading carefully. "I mean, have you ever tried banana and mint, it even sounds gross. That's gotta mean something. Plus, you're brilliant and Sirius...well if it wasn't for James' dad, he woulda never gotten into UCLA."

"Neither would James," Remus pointed out with a scowl.

"Exactly. I mean you and me, we're different than Sirius and James. Heck, you can't mix strawberry ice cream and strawberry ice cream. That would just be more strawberry!"

"Stop saying strawberry, you sound like a drunk," Remus laughed. He rubbed his hand over his eyes and pulled it down his face to rid his lips of a huge grin. "Alright, I get the point, Lily."

"Do you? Because you're a complete fool if you think for one minute that you two aren't the most adorable co-"

"Stop. Don't use that _just_ _saw_ _a_ _puppy_ tone of voice to talk about my relationship."

"Sorry," Lily laughed as she straightened herself in the seat. "I still can't believe something as silly as ice cream kept Sirius from coming tonight."

"Um, no. We had that argument like two weeks ago." Remus lifted from his seat and dug the play's advertisement flyer from his back pocket. "This is why he didn't come." He dropped the paper into Lily's lap and waited for her to unfold it. "See it?"

"Yeah. Did Sirius do that?" Lily stared down at the paper, her eyes fixed on the cast list. The name _Regulus_ _Black_ had been scratched through in heavy pen and the words _Big_ _Idiot_ were written out in Sirius' neat cursive. "He's a bit passive aggressive...maybe?"

"Oh, there's nothing _passive_ about his aggressive. That's my second copy. The first one en- Actually, I'd rather not talk about what happened to the first one." Remus snatched the paper back from Lily and refolded it along the crease lines.

"Hey!" A boy two rows in front of Remus and Lily turned around and narrowed his eyes at them. "You two ladies wanna stop your bitchin' and shut up? The curtain's open."

Lily made a childish show of sticking her tongue out at the boy, but nevertheless, the two became quiet and remained so throughout the entire show. As the curtains fell and everyone got to their feet to applaud the bowing actors, Remus pulled out his phone and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked, stretching her arms up above her head and groaning from sitting in one position so long.

"Nothing." Remus stuffed his phone back into his pocket and shrugged. "I just thought that he might have tried to call or text or...anything. But he didn't, so that's fine. If he doesn't wanna do it, that's just fine." He turned on his heel and led the way out of the auditorium and across thee parking lot.

Lily had to half jog to keep up with the much taller Remus. "Slow down, would you?" she panted as they finally reached the boy's truck. She muttered out a few more complaints as they climbed into the cab and buckled up. "You hungry?" she asked as she checked her pocket to make sure she remembered to bring her money. "I'm buying. Anywhere you want."

"You're not buying, but let's go to The Burrow." The stubborn look on Remus' face was enough to keep Lily from arguing with him. He grinned over at the girl when she pouted out the window and sighed. "Don't be a baby," he teased.

"I'm not a baby," Lily muttered.

* * *

Remus and Lily both waved exaggeratedly towards Frank as they walked into the sandwich shop. They fell into the front-most booth and quickly gave their orders to the waitress in training. Both having the same idea, they pulled out their small notebooks and started discussing the points they had to address in their homework assignment. Just after their drinks had been brought over the second time, because the first time they were incorrect, a new voice came about.

"You two are such nerds."

Remus stopped writing in mid-sentence and slowly looked up at the intruder. He swallowed back the urge to use a rather unfriendly hand gesture and decided upon a simple greeting. "Hello, Cameron."

Cameron smirked and smoothed his hand back over his short, dirty blonde hair. "Since when do you call me _Cameron_?" he asked with a laugh.

"Since fifteen seconds ago," Remus answered with sarcasm. "Did you need something?" He turned his eyes back down to his paper, attempting to look as though it had his concentration.

"You don't have to be so cold," Cameron snapped.

"Fine." Remus laid his pen down and looked up at Cameron with slightly sarcastic kindness. "Hello, Cam. How are you?"

"That's more like it," Cameron laughed, flashing a huge, toothy smile.

Lily made a small sound that sounded like a mixture of a cough and the word _creep_. She put on her best attempt at a dignified expression and got to her feet. "I'm going to the ladies' room. Do me a nice favor and not be here when I get back," she said, her voice sickeningly sweet. She grinned down at Remus and walked away from the table.

"Are you two on a date?" Cameron asked as he dropped onto Lily's vacated spot.

"No!" Remus shot a look of disgust at the other boy and rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot."

"I was just kidding around," Cameron laughed, his brown eyes seeking out Remus' blue ones. "You gotta admit though, it looks date-ish. If you lose the homework. Which brings me back to my earlier point. _You're_ _such_ _a_ _nerd_. What are you doing with homework on a Saturday?"

"I might be a nerd, but it'll pay off one day." Remus closed over his notebook and scooted it away from himself.

"Yeah, I know. Congrats, by the way. I heard about the scholarship." Cameron's hands moved to lay in the middle of the table, his fingers locked together. "Guess we might be seeing each other a bit next year. I...well, I got into NYU. I didn't think I would. With the whole..."

"Having a kid, thing?" Remus finished. When Cameron merely nodded, Remus cleared his throat and straightened up. "How's your...son?" he asked, his eyes focusing hard on a spot on the table.

"That was a guess."

"Yes it was. Is it a boy?"

"Yeah, it is. His name's Devon but I...I haven't..." Cameron shifted and drummed his fingers on the table. "I haven't seen him in months. She moved in with her dad, took the kid to Oregon. She won't even talk to me when I call. She just wants me to send her money and not ask a thing."

Remus made a small humming sound and nodded his head. Before he had a chance to speak, the waitress came back by the table with the wrong order and had to be sent off again. "I get that she's new, but really...turkey and tuna are _very_ different foods," Remus muttered as he watched the girl disappear.

"Yeah," Cameron offered. He swallowed back some air and chewed on the side of his tongue for a moment. "So I was thinking that we sho-"

"You're still here?" Lily cut in as she stepped back up to the table. "And in my seat," she added, throwing the blonde a glare.

Cameron sighed in defeat and climbed out of the booth, then turned back towards Remus. "Ca-can I call you sometime? You haven't changed your number or anything have you?"

Between the hopeful stare he was getting from Cameron and the intense angry stare coming from Lily, Remus was starting to feel more than uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, sniffled a little and started fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "It's, um...I di-I didn't...change...it," he finally managed to force out without looking up from the table.

"Okay." Cameron's voice was right on the edge between nervous and excited. He smiled and waved at the other boy as he turned around and walked away from the table; he ignored Lily's glare.

"You. Are. An. Idiot." Lily slapped her hand down on the table and leaned forward. "What are you doing telling him he call you?" she hissed. "Do you have any idea how that sounded? You have a boyfriend, remember? How do you think he'd feel about hearing that little b-"

"Stop it," Remus snapped, finally looking up at Lily. "I didn't tell him he could call me, I just...I just answered his damn question and don't you dare start lecturing me on -" The boy stopped speaking at the reappearance of the waitress. "Turkey?" he asked, staring up at her with unforgiving eyes.

The young girl nodded and slid both baskets onto the table before hurrying away. After a long, uncomfortable silence, Lily scoffed and pulled the bread open on her sandwich. "I told her no cheese," she grumbled as she flung away the offensive slice of cheddar.

"Just be glad you didn't end up with tuna," Remus muttered back, keeping his eyes on his food.

"Remus..." Lily let out a sharp breath and shook her head. "Don't screw up something wonderful just because you're having a rough patch. Things will get better. Just be patient."

"I know," Remus whispered. "I know."

* * *

**A Note From the Author: I'll start off with a few notes for my fine readers that aren't American based. New York (NYU) is a short drive from Connecticut, which is fully across the country from California (UCLA). Oregon is right above California, but still a long drive from the Southern part where they all currently live. Okay, now that that's done, let me know what you thought of the chapter. Do you see Cam causing trouble in the future? :D –Jenna**

**On a side note, you may have noticed that 15 of my fanfictions have been removed from my page. This is for reasons that I don't wanna go into, but I'm sure you are mostly aware of. If you go to my Profile, you can see links to my other fanfiction pages in which these stories can be seen. I do hope that I don't become a casualty of recent movements and I am 90% sure that the stories remaining on my Profile (including Fire, Haunted & Battlefield) as well as this one will be safe. *fingers crossed***


	34. Stab My Back

**Chapter 34: Stab My Back**

**.**

Sirius Black stretched his arms high above his head and let out a loud groan. His arms fell back downward, one of them draping over the shoulder of his boyfriend. He smiled as Remus leaned against him. Sirius stared down at the book clutched in the other boy's hand and made a sour face as he saw that it was in another language. "What are you reading, Moony?" he whispered, laying his face against the top of the boy's head.

"Spanish assignment." Remus marked his page and tossed the book over to the empty cushion of the couch. "I can't understand half of it," he muttered as he shifted under Sirius' arm and stared at him. "I'm no good at language stuff." A slow smile came over his face as he reached up and laid his hand on Sirius' cheek. "We can practice our French, though," he laughed, giving the boy a suggestive wink.

Sirius smiled back down at the boy and leaned in to kiss him. Their lips only met for a fleeting moment before Sirius pulled back. "You should finish your work," he whispered, pushing his hand through Remus' hair lovingly.

"Finish my work?" Remus whined. He sat up and pursed his lips at the other boy. "What's gotten into you this week?" He leaned back against the couch and pushed Sirius' arm away from around his shoulder. He snatched the book up into his hand and tossed it onto the Potters' coffee table. "I'm done with that for now," he said with a stern tone.

"But you di-"

"Done." Remus met Sirius' eyes and refused to back down. "Why are you acting like this?" he asked, putting his hand down on top of Sirius'. "You've been practically ordering me to do more and more work. Are you trying to deliberately spend less time with me?"

"No!" Sirius scooted to the edge of the couch and shook his head. "I want to spend time with you, I _love_ spending time with you, but we can spend time together while you work."

"You watching me do Spanish homework is _not_ spending time together." Remus stared down at their hands and focused on his thumb as it smoothed over the other boy's knuckles. "Why are you pushing me so hard?" he whispered, not looking up.

"Because I...I saw your last Trig test," Sirius whispered back. "You got eighty-three percent. Remus, that's a B."

Remus cocked his eyebrows and stared up at Sirius. "You make Cs and Ds. How are you gonna get on my case about one B?"

"I'm a C and D student, you're not a B student. You're an A student. If they made a grade higher than A, that would be you." Sirius pulled his hand back through his hair and turned his back on the other boy. "It's my fault. I remember it, I remember calling you and asking you to come over and you told me...you _told_ me that you needed to study for that damn test and I just kept begging until you came over. You didn't study because of me and you suffered for it."

"It was one test, Sirius. One. It isn't like you burned my books and made me quit."

"I made you skip."

"You didn't _make_ me do anything!" Remus wrapped his arms tightly around Sirius from behind. He pushed his face into the boy's neck and closed his eyes. "You didn't make me do anything," he repeated quietly. "I went because, despite my initial hesitation, it sounded like a lot of fun and it was a lot of fun. I had a blast and so did everyone else. I put off studying and came to see you because that's what I wanted to do. If I really wanted to study for that thing, I could have told you no."

"You never tell me no," Sirius argued. He reached up and laid his hands on Remus' arms clutched around his chest. "I just don't wanna screw up your future, Moony."

Remus let out a sharp breath and tightened his hold around Sirius' chest. "You're not going to, babe. You..." He sighed and turned Sirius around to face him. "You could never screw anything up." He smoothed his hands over Sirius' neck and cradled it between them. "Tell me you love me," he said giving the boy a fake pout.

"I love you," Sirius conceded with a smile. He leaned forward and engaged the other boy in a slow, affectionate kiss and wrapped his arms around Remus' waist. When he pulled away, he smiled again and licked his lips. "I'm gonna miss that," he whispered.

"Maybe not." Remus dropped his hands and twisted them in his lap, refusing to make eye contact with Sirius. "I've been doing a lot of thinking the last few days. About you and school and just...life in general. You know, I have about twenty letters on my desk; all from colleges waiting for answers. I haven't sent them back yet and one of them happens to be from...well from UCLA and I -"

"Don't you dare." Sirius' voice was heavy as he stared at the other boy. His jaw set firm; his teeth clenching to the point it caused pain. "Are you out of your damn mind?" He got to his feet and took a few steps away from the couch, then turned around and dropped back onto his abandoned spot. "You are. You're completely insane if you think for one minute I would let you go anywhere other than where you wanted. No. No, it's not gonna happen."

"It's a good school. I can take the same classes, get the same degree and still have you. I'm not just saying this on a whim, I've been thinking about it for a while. It just seems logical. I want to be with you. Wherever that may be."

"You _want_ to go to Yale."

"I _want_ us to be together."

"No! No, no, no. A million times no, it isn't gonna happen so put it out of your mind. I mean it." Sirius bit down on his bottom lip and grabbed onto Remus' hands. He squeezed the boy's fingers and forced eye contact. "I would never forgive myself if you did that."

"Forgive yourself? There's nothing to forgive, you haven't down anything. This is my choice, my thoughts. You don't have control over it. You don't have a choice in this." Remus pulled his hands away and covered his mouth with one. "I thought you would be happy about this."

"No, I'm not happy about this! This is horrible, and I _do_ have a say in it." Sirius got up from the couch once more and looked back down at Remus. "You're set on this?" When the other boy nodded, Sirius let out a loud growl and snatched up Remus' book. "Leave," he snapped, holding the book out. "I want you to leave. Now."

"What?" Remus looked up at the other boy, shocked.

Sirius grabbed onto Remus' arm and pulled him to his feet, then shoved the book into his hand. "The funny thing is, I actually didn't see this coming. There was a moment, a few months ago, when I thought that this might have happened. It was a small moment and I told myself, I said Sirius...he isn't stupid. He isn't going to give up something so important just to be closer." He shook his head and pointed at the door, then took a step back away from Remus. "I refuse to be a part of something that you'd regret one day."

"There would be nothing to regret. Sirius, I love you. Is it so hard to imagine that I would actually be happier by being close to you?"

"It doesn't matter, we're done."

"You don't mean that."

"Yes...I do." Sirius put on a resolve face and stared straight at Remus. "You can go to UCLA, you're free to make your own choices, but it won't matter. You and me...over. You can go to any school you want, but I won't be a part of it. You go to that school and I won't. I'll go to some community thing around here or I won't go anywhere."

"I just want us to be together," Remus muttered. He passed the book back and forth between his hands and stared at the floor.

Sirius opened his mouth ans swallowed back his words. He slowly shook his head and pushed past Remus, walking out of the room. The sound of heavy footsteps ascending the staircase met Remus' ears and made him cringe. He thumped the book in his hand and stared between the direction of the front door and the direction which Sirius went. His mind ran over the conversation again, trying to pick it apart and force it to change.

"Lupin?" James stepped into his living room and stared at Remus with questioning eyes. "Are you waiting on Sirius? You can go upstairs, you know? My parents aren't home."

"No. I...was just leaving. Later," Remus muttered as he dug his keys from his pocket and walked out of the house. He stopped at the door to his truck and put his forehead against the window. "Idiot."

* * *

Remus stared down at the batting helmet in his hands. His angered and forlorn eyes reflected back at him in the shiny red surface, making his lips curl in disgust. He had gone to the cages after leaving James' house, intending to blow off some steam and cheer himself up. Just the opposite had happened, however, he couldn't hit a ball to save his life and his shoulder was agonizingly sore from trying too hard. He slammed the helmet onto its return spot and started off towards the parking lot.

"Remus! Remus wait up!"

He heard the voice, but Remus didn't stop walking. He reached his truck just as Cameron managed to catch up with him. Remus took a long, slow breath and turned towards the other boy. "What do you want?"

"What's wrong with you?" Cameron asked, his eyes worried and soft. "I was watching, you looked like hell in there."

"I hurt my shoulder," Remus answered dryly. It wasn't a complete lie; his shoulder was on fire, it just wasn't the reason he was doing so poorly. "Look, I gotta g-" His words cut off as Cameron's hand fell onto his sore shoulder and the boy's fingertips dug into the muscle. Remus stuttered out a few syllables that were meant to be _don't_.

"Just relax, you know that I know what I'm doing," Cameron said with a grin as he stepped closer to the other boy and dug his hand into the tense, stretched muscles. His smile continued to widen as Remus relaxed under his hand and made a small sound of relief. "See," Cameron boasted as he brought his other hand up to join the first. "You always said I had a knack for this."

The tone of nostalgia in the other boy's voice made Remus run rigid once more. He pushed Cameron's hands away from him and stepped away. "Yeah...thanks, but I gotta go." He tugged at the handle, only to realize that he hadn't unlocked the door yet. His hand fumbled around in his pocket, searching for his keys.

"Lose something?" Cameron asked, lifting up Remus' keys and dangling them playfully. "You dropped them at the bat return." He smiled and jerked the keys back out of Remus' reach. "Don't be so grabby. You owe me big time. There could be some ten year old brat running around with these right now."

Remus rolled his eyes and kicked his toe at the pavement. "Thank you. Now, can I please have my keys back?"

"Why don't you come over here and get 'em?"

"Cam, you know very well that I have a b-" Remus faltered. Sirius' words screamed through his head once more, bringing a lump to his throat. "Just let me have my keys." He held his hand out.

Cameron watched the drastic change in Remus' face and slowly lowered the keys into the boy's hand. When Remus' fingers closed around the metal, Cameron grabbed his wrist. With a quick tug, he pulled Remus closer to himself and wrapped his arm around the boy's waist. Before Remus could even register what was happening, Cameron's lips were on his own.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: *dodges flying objects* Please don't scream at me. *innocent eyes* Yeah, I'm sure no one has anything happy to say about all that, but please leave me some thoughts. Some non-violent ones. LOL Thank you for reading! :D –Jenna**


	35. Back to Me

**Chapter 35: Back to Me**

**.**

A fist fell heavily against the front door of the Lupin household. Remus raised his eyebrows in confusion and glanced at the door, then over towards his mother. Diane shrugged and waved towards the door as the knocking once more filled the room. Remus sighed and closed his book, then got up from the couch. He peeked out through the peephole and froze as he spotted Sirius. Slowly, Remus pulled open the door and looked down at the other boy.

Sirius looked frantic and angry. He pulled his hand back from the door and took a step away. "Can we talk?" he asked, his voice higher than normal.

Remus closed his eyes and nodded, then pulled the door open further to let Sirius inside.

"Out here," Sirius insisted, walking to the side of the porch.

The other boy complied and followed Sirius out onto the porch. He shoved his hands down into his pockets and leaned against the railing; his eyes fixed hard on the ground. A long silence passed between them before Remus spoke up. "You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah," Sirius whispered, taking a deep breath. He licked his lips a few times and took a step towards Remus. "If I said that I'm a total idiot and I'm so sorry, would you forgive me?" He chewed on the side of his tongue and grabbed onto one of Remus' hands, pulling it from the boy's pocket. "I'm a total idiot and I'm so sorry. I panicked and I-I-I didn't know what to do. Moony, I love you too much to ever let you give up something like that."

"I know," Remus whispered as he pulled his hand out of Sirius'. "I shouldn't have even thought about it, but I was just...desperate to keep us together."

"So...that's settled then? You won't bring it up again? You won't do it?"

"I'm going to Yale. It's where I belong and where I've always wanted to go." He crossed his arms over his chest and kept his eyes on the porch. His mouth opened and closed a few times as the boy internally debated whether to speak again.

"You look like a fish," Sirius said with a grin. "Look, Moony, my love, my wonderful guy. I didn't want to hurt you. It killed me to say what I did, I just couldn't think straight on the spur of the moment like that. You know how I am, you know how I react the wrong way and then...then after I have time to think, I can come up with better words. And I did. I was prepared to get on my knees and beg you not to ruin your life." He put his hands on the sides of Remus' face and forced the boy to look up at him.

Remus grabbed onto Sirius' wrists and pulled the boy's hands away. He looked back down at the ground. His toe scooted over the weather beaten wood.

"You're mad at me. I don't blame you for being mad at me. Damn it, Remus, I'm so sorry. Just tell me what I need to do. Tell me how to get your forgiveness."

"It isn't you that needs forgiveness," Remus whispered, almost inaudibly. He hugged his arms around himself and shook his head. "I screwed up. Sirius, I really screwed up."

"Screwed up how?" Sirius asked, raising a single eyebrow at Remus.

"When I left yesterday, I went to the cages. I...I just needed to blow off some steam, to feel better." Remus closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing.

"Re-"

"Let me finish." Remus tried to look up at the other boy, but couldn't bring himself to do it. "So...so I was leaving and I dropped my keys and, well, C..." He pulled one hand back through his hair and shook his head. "Cam kissed me," he spat, forcing the words out as fast as he could before he changed his mind.

Sirius took a small step back and rubbed roughly at his nose. "But-but you..."

"I..." Remus took a deep breath. "I kissed him back."

Sirius started shaking his head and backing away slowly. "No you didn't," he said, his voice low and scared. "Nu uh, you're...you're trying to upset me because I made you mad, you didn't, you wouldn't, you _wouldn't_...do that. You-you...take it back. Just take it back. Say you didn't really do it." He put one hand over his mouth to keep from screaming and balled the other into a fist. His fingernails dug into his palm and shot pain through his arm, but he didn't care. His hand shook as he continued to step backwards away from Remus. The boy let out a sharp growl as his back hit the wall of the house. "Take it back!" he yelled. "Just take...it back."

"I can't take it back. Sirius, I -"

"Lie to me!" Sirius grabbed his hair with both hands and shook his head even harder. "Lie to me, just lie to me if you have to."

Remus crossed the porch in two strides and pried Sirius' fingers out of his hair. "Don't do that." He let go of Sirius' hands only to have the boy cling desperately to his fingers. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, squeezing Sirius' hands back. "You know that I would never do _anything_ to hurt you on purpose. I was...I was angry and hurt and stupid. I was completely stupid and I would do anything to take it back."

"Please stop talking," Sirius whispered. He pulled Remus close to him and grabbed at the boy's shirt, twisting it in his fingers. His hands crept upwards until they were resting at the base of the other boy's neck. He pulled him down bringing their lips together roughly. He held one hand behind the boy's neck and let it wander up into Remus' shaggy brown hair. His finders wound up tightly in the strands while his other hand wrapped around the boy's waist and held him close.

Remus lifted both of his hands to the sides of Sirius' neck and tried to soften their kiss. When they finally separated for air, he stared into the grey orbs before him. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You're an asshole," Sirius whispered back.

"I know." Remus nodded slowly and started to pull away, but Sirius kept him held close.

"But your _my_ asshole." Sirius' breathing was heavy and strained. He kept eye contact with the other boy and leaned back up to touch their lips together again. He pushed hard into the kiss, using too much abandon and allowing their teeth to bang together painfully. He nipped at the boy's bottom lip as he pulled away, bringing a whimper out of Remus. "If you ever d-"

"I won't! Ever." Remus shook his head, wincing as it caused Sirius' fingers to pull at his hair. "I won't, I won't. It was one stupid, quick, _stupid_ mistake and it will never happen again." He laid his hands on Sirius' chest and pushed against him, pinning the boy to the wall. He could see the hurt in the boy's eyes and it was twisting his insides to see. His eyes closed as he leaned in to kiss the boy again.

Sirius turned his head and pushed the other boy away from him. "I can't be around you right now," he whispered, walking towards the edge of the porch.

"No, no, no, Sirius don't leave." Remus chased behind the other boy, grabbing for his hand. When Sirius pulled it from reach and kept moving towards the car he had borrowed form James' father, Remus continued to plead. "Sirius, just don't leave. Not like this, not right now, please just stay."

Sirius shook his head and fumbled with the mess of keys in his hand as he tried to find the right one. "Damn it," he growled, throwing the entire lot on the ground forcefully.

Remus grabbed onto the boy's hands and tried to keep him steady. "Calm down, please, just clam down. I love you." He pushed against the boy's arms, backing him into the car and holding him steady. "I love you," he repeated, meeting the boy's eyes. He smoothed his hands back over Sirius' face and into his hair. "Listen to me. I _love_ you, yes? You know that. You know I love you, right?"

Sirius' eyes closed and his head nodded just barely. Remus leaned down and pressed his lips to the boy's jaw, kissing along the line of it and whispering apologies with each move. He trailed his kisses onto Sirius' neck and wrapped his arms around the boy's waist tightly. Sirius' body relaxed slightly in Remus embrace and his arms hooked around the boy's neck.

Two weeks later, the two lay in Remus' bed together; their fingers locked together and their eyes holding each other's gaze. Sirius reached his hand up and pushed a strand of hair away from Remus' forehead with a soft smile on his face. "Your hair's getting really long," he whispered.

"Not that long," Remus whispered back, pulling his hand back through it. "Alright, it is, but...I thought you liked it this way. That's why I haven't cut it yet."

"I do like it," Sirius answered. He slipped his fingers around in the boy's hair and scooted closer to him. He closed his eyes and adjusted the covers so that they weren't stuck between the two boys. His arm wrapped tightly around Remus' waist and his head laid over on the boy's shoulder. "I wish we could spend every night like this," he whispered.

"Me too, babe." Remus kissed the top of Sirius' head and smiled. "Me too."

* * *

Sirius stood in front of his locker on Monday morning, a saddened look across his features. He fumbled with one of his books, trying to shove it into the confined metal space. A hand slipped over his lower back and Remus' face came into view.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Remus asked, rubbing over the boy's back.

Sirius gave the other boy a half smile and leaned against the locker. "My Uncle...Alphard, he's...he's gone. He had an accident when he was trying to snowboard up in Toronto and he's gone." He tilted his head and stepped closer to Remus. "I just feel weird about it. I mean, I waited so long to visit and now I can't. I remember me and Regulus would go to his house for three weeks every Summer when we were little."

Remus gave the boy a sympathetic smile and tucked his hair back behind his ear. He tugged on the end of Sirius' tie and stared down at him. "Why don't you go home? You shouldn't be here if you're upset," he offered. "I can drive you if you want. I could probably get back before first period."

"No you couldn't. If you took me home, then I wouldn't let you leave," Sirius teased. He slipped his hand into Remus' and smiled up at him. "I don't need to leave. I'd rather be busy. You know the worst part of it, though? My parents didn't even tell me, I found out from some Mister Podmore guy. He says he's my Uncle's lawyer and I have to go down to his office sometime this week."

"When are you going?"

"I dunno. I don't even think I am. I mean, what does some lawyer guy want with me, anyways?"

Remus gave a halfhearted shrug and a humming _I_ _don't_ _know_ sound. "Maybe your Uncle had a will or something. He mighta left you something special from your childhood. Like something out of the room you stayed in all the time. Who knows? You won't ever know 'till you go down there and find out."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, it isn't that far anyways and maybe you could come with me?"

"Not this week. I'm on shift every day. We're having all these stupid specials. _Seniors' Special_ _Month_. All Seniors get a half price pizza this month only. Just until graduation."

"Half price pizza, huh? I know where I'm having dinner tonight," Sirius joked. "It sucks being broke, you know it? I should get a job this Summer. Maybe I can work with you."

* * *

"Remus!" Sirius burst into Antonio's Pizza Parlor with wide, excited eyes. He rushed up to Remus and grabbed onto his shoulders, making the boy almost drop his order pad. "Remus, you'll never believe what just happened."

Remus pulled out of Sirius' hold and smirked. "What happened? Mister Podmore tell you that your Uncle left you a car or something?"

Sirius slowly shook his head, an eerily excited smile crawling across his lips. "Nope. Not a car." He let out a giddy laugh and grabbed Remus' shoulders again. "He left me...everything. His house, his _other_ house, his furniture, his stocks, his..._everything_!"

* * *

**A Note From the Author: See! See! Everything's okay now! Unless you're Alphard, then you're not so...okay, but everything else is okay. Thank you so much for reading and leave me some thoughts. :D –Jenna**


	36. The Last Song

**Chapter 36: The Last Song**

**.**

"No one looks good in a graduation cap."

Sirius was not going to argue with James on this matter, but it didn't stop him from staring at himself in the mirror and frowning in disgust. He reached up and nudged the side of the dark blue flat cap and scoffed. "Do we really have to wear them?"

James didn't answer. He had already answered the same question four times that afternoon and he was not going to answer again. Instead, he rolled his eyes and pointed to his watch. "You won't have to wear it if we're late," he offered as he made his way to the bedroom door.

Sirius pouted and ripped the cap from his head, then picked up his bagged gown as he and James headed out of the house. The drive was short and all Sirius could think about was how dreadful the flat cap made his hair look. Twice Sirius voiced this aloud and twice, James pretended not to hear.

The moment Sirius stepped out of James' car outside of the Milton school auditorium, he was engulfed in a flurry of white. Remus' gown puffed up around him as he wrapped his arms tightly around Sirius' neck and hugged him close. "I can't believe this!" he cried out, excitement dripping from his every word.

Sirius grinned and returned the embrace, burying his face deep into the curve of Remus' neck. "You certainly sound happy. I thought you'd be crying over this," he said against the boy's skin.

"He's all cried out," Lily voiced as she stepped up behind the boys and made her way towards James. "He spent the last hour wiping his eyes. You're getting him after two energy drinks." She let out a quiet laugh and gasped as James pulled her into his arms.

"Hey," Sirius muttered as his eyes fell over Lily and he finally took in Remus' appearance as well. "Why do you two have white gowns?" he asked with a huff.

"'Cause, they're smarter than us," James teased as he popped the trunk and grabbed up his and Sirius' dark blue gowns. "Let's get changed and get in there." Before Sirius had a chance to speak, James added in, "Yes, you have to wear the hat."

Long. Boring. Uncomfortable. All words that could be used to describe the tediousness that was High School graduation. Being one of the first through the line to get his tassel moved and his diploma handed over, Sirius found himself growing weary and tired as he watched the other students move across the stage. It wasn't until he sat up to watch Remus receive his sheepskin that Sirius felt the full emotional impact of the ceremony. Tears sprang to the boy's eyes as he watched Remus duck his head so that the Principal could move his tassel from one side of the boy's cap to the other.

Sirius cursed the existence of alphabetical order as he turned in his seat and beamed a teary smile at his boyfriend. The sight of Sirius' face once again made the overly hyped up Remus start to cry. He pressed his palms to his eyes and begged for it to stop before he had to make his Valedictorian speech. A few long, soothing breaths and a whispered pep talk from the near-by James was all the boy needed to hold his head high as he stood in front of the class and delivered his speech.

As the graduating class all gathered in front of the school to take what seemed like two-hundred photos, Sirius and Remus came together to stand. They wrapped their arms around each other, then took time to each hug their fellow classmates. Despite his insistence that he hated his flat cap, Sirius could not bear to let his fingers release it as the others all flew into the air with a victorious shout from the entire class. The boy hugged his hat to his chest and leaned into Remus' arms.

* * *

No one could throw a party like a Potter. That was a fact.

Owing to the warm evening, the entire graduating class was spread across the Potters' front lawn enjoying a party that none dared to report as too loud. Former students danced and drank, all celebrating the end of their High School lives. Half of them wept over the ending of such a huge part of their lives, while the other half couldn't stop yelling with joy.

Though one would expect James Potter to be over the moon with excitement at finally being free, instead the boy was curled up in a lawn chair, wiping tears from his eyes and clutching an untouched beer. Lily slipped herself into the boy's lap and gave him her best try at a sympathetic face. It was difficult, because the girl was leaping inside about High School being over. James put his drink on the ground and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's waist, burying his face into her shoulder.

"I thought you'd be happy about this," Lily whispered as she rubbed her hand over the boy's arm and kissed the top of his head. "You don't even like going to class," she added with a laugh.

"I know," James muttered. He sniffled a little and tightened his hold on Lily. "I don't like sitting in class, but I like going to school. All of our friends and...what if we never see them again?"

"James, you're gonna be sharing a room with Sirius at UCLA. You're gonna see your friends again. Prewett's going there too and so is Alice. You got along with her just fine." Lily frowned and cuddled against the boy in an effort to comfort him.

"But you won't be there. You'll be all the way in _France_," he sneered. "I don't see why you gotta go out of the damn country. There are great schools in _this_ country."

"It's only for a year," Lily sighed. "Then I'll be back. This is good experience. Seeing the world and all that. We've been over this."

James made a small, childish snort and squeezed his girlfriend. "Yeah, you say it's for a year, but then you'll get there and you'll be taken in. Six months from now, you'll be sipping wine and going to art parties and moving into Pierre's loft but you'll insist that it's just to save money and then a few weeks later, I'll call and you'll be laughing and I'll hear some guy in the background yelling _come_ _back_ _to_ _bed,_ _senorita_."

"No you won't," Lily said pointedly.

"How do you know? You don't know that; you could fall for some guy over there," he argued.

"I know that because _senorita_ is Spanish, James." Lily giggled for a moment until she saw the horrified and broken expression on James' face. "I'm kidding," she laughed, putting her hands on James' cheeks. "Well, no, _senorita_ is Spanish, but I'm not gonna fall for some guy. I know it because I love you. Look at me," she snapped when the boy dropped his eyes. "I. Love. You. Only you. It's always been you and it will always be you. How can you now know that by now?"

"Because I've treated you like crap, Lily!" James closed his eyes tight and leaned his face into the girl's neck. "I've been an awful, rotten, horrible, scummy, crappy, horrible -"

"- You already said horrible. -"

"I've been double horrible." James looked up into Lily's emerald eyes and smoothed her hair back out of her face. "You know that I'm gonna spend every day making it up to you, right? I'll never take you for granted again; I'll never forget how important you are. I just hate that it took almost losing you to make me see that."

Lily pouted her lips and mussed up James' hair, then leaned forward and gave the boy a soft kiss. "Everything's going to be just fine between us," she whispered against the boy's lips. "I promise. And I don't break promises, do I?"

"You never break promises," James answered dutifully.

A loud groan and the sound of someone falling onto the ground beside the lawn chair brought James and Lily's attention away from their intimate moment. "Sirius, are you alright?" Lily asked, staring down at the boy who was now sprawled on his back.

"I'm fine," Sirius muttered. He laid his head back in the grass and looked up at James. "Whatchoo crying about?" he asked, lifting one eyebrow at the boy.

"He's upset about me leaving," Lily answered.

"Still? Dang, James, you've known for months, why are you still upset about that?" Sirius asked as he made an attempt to sit up.

"You're still upset about Remus," James pointed out with a smug look.

"That's different, he's leaving for like four years and then who knows where he'll go after that." Sirius stretched his arms up over his head and yawned. "Besides, I'm not upset. I know everything will be fine." He dropped his arms and frowned as his eyes scanned over the party crowd to find Remus. "Where the hell is he, anyways?" he asked with a snort.

"You lost him?" Lily laughed as she turned around in James' arms and leaned her back against his chest.

"I didn't lose him," Sirius snapped. "I just don't know where he went is all. We got split up by your dad," he added, directing the last bit towards James. "Mister P probably hauled him off to show him his stethoscope or something."

"Hey, my dad isn't like that," James called out, narrowing his eyes at the other boy. When he received two shocked glances from both Lily and Sirius, he couldn't help but break a smile. "I'm only kidding. I know what a stethoscope is," he said with a laugh. "I can't believe you two think I'm that dumb. After all, I'm not the one who got his head stuck in the towel rack beside my pool." A sinister smirk crossed over James' lips as he slowly looked towards Sirius.

"You promised you'd never tell anyone about that!" Sirius cried out.

"Tell anyone about what?" Remus asked as he knelt down beside Sirius and gave the boy an expectant stare.

"Nothing," Sirius muttered at the same time that James began to speak. "We were nine and Sirius bet me twe- Ow!" James' words were cut off by Sirius slamming his fist into the boy's shoulder. "Down you go," the messy haired boy told Lily before dumping her over onto the ground and diving at Sirius. "You're gonna pay for that!" he cried out as he tackled his friend to the ground and rolled over him. "You deserved it!" Sirius cried out with a barking laugh as the two launched into a play fight.

"It's so good to see them back to normal," Lily sighed as she got off the ground and took James' abandoned chair.

"Well, they aren't back to normal, exactly," Remus pointed out. When Lily gave the boy a questioning look, he continued. "Well they aren't like they were before. Don't you even remember the end of the year party last year?" he asked.

"I remember we got in a fight," she whispered.

"About Sirius," Remus finished.

"Because you're a stubborn ass," Lily added.

Remus twisted his lips and smirked at the girl. "I'm gonna miss you," he told her.

"Yeah, I'm gonna miss you too. But...we still have all Summer."

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Wow, to say this chapter took forever to put out would be an understatement. Sorry about that, guys. Moving on, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. It wasn't my favorite by far, but the next one should be better. A lot of American based traditions in regards to Graduation in this chapter. I wanted to keep the scene small since I know a lot of my readers aren't American and won't really get all the references. Feel free to ask questions if you're curious. **

**Also, just because the title is that, doesn't mean it is the last chapter. It is in regards to the Last Song of their high school careers. Still several chapters to go! Thanks for reading. :D –Jenna**


	37. The Future has Arrived

**Chapter 37: The Future has Arrived**

**.**

Remus Lupin wasn't big on surprises. He hated the idea of not knowing what was going on around him. There was something in the gleam of Sirius' grey eyes that could make him forget this about himself altogether. The shaggy haired brunette happily climbed into Sirius' brand new car with an overnight bag even though he hadn't the slightest clue where they were headed.

"It'll be worth the wait, I promise," Sirius told him as they pulled out of Remus' driveway and turned the car towards Godric's Hollow. The boy flipped on the radio and grinned as Remus pulled out a book from his bag. "You're gonna read?" he asked, laughing under his breath. "Can't believe I fell in love with such a nerd," he teased.

Remus cut his eyes over towards Sirius and smirked. "If I wasn't a nerd, we wouldn't even be together," he pointed out. "I'm just glad you're so bad at Chemistry."

Sirius barked out a laugh and ruffled Remus' hair before putting his attention on the road. Close to an hour later, Sirius pulled the car into the drive of a gated apartment complex. He leaned out of his window and punched in a code to the box, then waited for the gate to open up so he could drive inside.

"Where are we?" Remus asked, closing his book and shoving it back into his bag. "Who lives here?" he continued when he received no answer. "Sirius?"

"Just quit asking questions, Moony, you'll see in a minute," Sirius answered. The smile on his face resembled that of a kid in a candy store. A few moments later, he pulled Remus out of the car and lead him up the stairs to a second floor apartment. He stopped outside of the door and turned around to the other boy. "Say that you love me," he asked quickly, his grin still wide.

"I love you," Remus answered as though it were more than obvious. "Now, will you tell me whose place this is?"

Sirius took a deep breath and ignored the question. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, then signaled for Remus to go in before him. Remus rolled his eyes at the secrecy and walked into the apartment. He dropped his bag onto the floor beside the doorway and narrowed his eyes in confusion. The apartment was large and open. The kitchen looked recently updated and the faint smell of carpet cleaner still hung in the air. The thing about the apartment that had Remus so confused was the fact that it was empty. Not a single piece of furniture lay in the vast space.

"I wanted to wait for you to get any furniture," Sirius said casually as he closed the front door and folded his arms over his chest. "Figured we could pick it out together."

Remus turned around and raised his eyebrows at Sirius. "I...I don't understand."

"I thought you were smart, Moony." Sirius gave the other boy a wink and waved his hands around frantically, trying to get him to understand. "The apartment," he offered, hoping that Remus would catch on. "It needs furniture." After a continued blank stare from Remus, Sirius was fairly certain he would explode with anxiousness. "The apartment needs furniture because I just bought it, Remus!" he finally cried out.

"You bought it?" Remus repeated in a tone of disbelief. "I don't understand. Why would you _buy_ an apartment? You'll be going to school soon." He looked around the empty space and pulled his fingers back through his hair. "You bought this place?" he said again, still in slight shock.

"Yes, I bought it. I don't care if I'm going to school, this is important." Sirius grabbed onto Remus' hands and forced him to be face to face. "Listen to me a minute. This place isn't just somewhere to live. It's so much more because it's...well it's the future. It's a symbol of our future. You move in here with me and _this_ is your home. No, this is _our_ home." He swallowed hard and gave the other boy a tight smile. "When you're off at Yale and I'm at school, any time someone asks where we live, this will be the answer. It doesn't matter if we'll only be here for summer and a few holidays, what matters is that it exists. It's here and it's ours and it's important."

Remus pulled his hands free and slipped them around the sides of Sirius' neck. He lowered his lips onto the other boy's and kissed him with a deep abandon until they were both hurting for air. "This is amazing," he whispered breathlessly as he pulled his mouth away. His hands smoothed down the boy's chest and wrapped around his waist. "I don't even know what to say."

"You could say _I'm_ _gonna_ _need_ _some_ _boxes_," Sirius prompted.

Remus smiled down at his boyfriend and nodded. "I'm gonna need some boxes."

Sirius gave a victorious hoot and wrapped his arms around the boy's neck. He pulled himself as close as possible and buried his face into Remus' shoulder. "Do you like it? I looked at a dozen places, I swear and this one just felt right."

"I love it," Remus answered quietly. He brushed his hand up and down the boy's back and closed his eyes. "Why did we bring bags?" He pulled back and smiled down at Sirius. "Are we sleeping here tonight? Because we have the bags and there isn't furniture."

A sneaky smirk crossed the shorter boy's face as he pulled out of Remus' arms and walked to the nearest door. "I did buy _one_ piece of furniture," he admitted as he pushed the door open to reveal another room which contained only a King sized bed, fully dressed. "We can go back if you'd rather. I mean, we don't have to stay here tonight."

"Oh, we're staying here," Remus said with a definite tone. He closed the distance between himself and Sirius and pulled the boy into a rough kiss. He stepped into him and forced Sirius to back up into the bedroom until his knees hit the bed.

Sirius fell back onto the bed and smiled up at the other boy. "I had a feeling you'd say that."

* * *

James let out a loud groan as he dropped a heavy box onto the floor. "Damn it, Lupin," he muttered. "How can anyone have this many books?" he asked, rounding on the boy in question. "Seriously, it isn't natural. And _how_ in the hell did _I_ get stuck carrying them all up here?" he added with a glare.

"Quit whining, James," Sirius spoke up as he dropped a box down next to the one James had brought up. "Moony likes to read, nothing wrong with that." He nodded at his boyfriend and hurried over to him, placing a quick kiss on the boy's cheek.

"That doesn't answer how I got stuck carrying the things up here," James continued to growl as he walked out of the apartment to fetch another box.

Sirius rolled his eyes at the boy's back and glanced up at Remus. "Why _is_ he carrying your books?" he asked with a grin.

Remus gave a quiet laugh and licked his lips. "I bet Lily ten bucks that she couldn't get James to carry all the heavy boxes up here. So, I get my books carried, Lily gets ten bucks and James gets to prove his love. It's a win, win, win situation if you ask me."

"You are a sneaky boy, Remus Lupin," Sirius teased.

Remus nodded slowly and leaned down to kiss the other boy. The sound of a soft knock pulled him from his intentions and his eyes darted towards the door. A tall, skinny brunette girl, who looked a bit older than the boys, stood in the open doorway. Her fist was still curled into the knocking position on the door frame and she held a covered bowl in her other hand.

"Hello," the girl called out, stepping into the apartment. "I wanted to meet the new neighbors. Thought I'd bring over a little somethin', somethin'," she said, holding out the bowl as an offering. "It's not much, just some cookies." She flashed a bright smile and tilted her head.

Sirius was most eager to accept the cookies from the girl. "Sirius Black," he told her as he took the bowl and raised his hand in a wave. "Thanks for this," he added quickly.

"My name's Dory," the girl said, shoving her hands down into the back pockets of her jeans. "So...you two live here? 'Cause I saw another guy, glasses, looks like he just got out of bed. And a girl."

"Yeah, they're just friends," Remus answered. "We live here, just us." He pointed between Sirius and himself and smiled back at the girl. "I'm Remus, by the way. So you live near-by?"

Dory pointed towards the ceiling and laughed. "Right above you. Don't worry, though, I'm not noisy," she said with a laugh.

"Oh, she's very noisy," came a male voice from the doorway. A young man with straw blonde hair and a rather arrogant smile stepped into the apartment and stood next to the girl. "Why are you lying to these guys, Meadowes?" he asked, casting a smirk in her direction. "The last guy who lived here moved off because she was so loud."

"That isn't true!" Dory cried out, smacking her hand into the guy's arm and rolling her eyes. "That isn't true," she added again, staring straight over at Remus. "Don't listen to this jerk."

The young man laughed quietly and offered his hand to Sirius. "I'm just kidding," he admitted. "I'm Barty. I live down, a few apartments over. You two are always welcome to come by for a chat." He raised his eyebrows at Sirius slightly and held onto his hand a little longer than was necessary for a handshake. "Or anything really," he added.

Sirius was quick to pull his hand away and put his arm around Remus' waist. "Thanks," he said with the most polite tone he could muster. "We're good though. We won't be here long. School and...such. So we'll be gone most of the year."

"Alright, Lupin, this better be the last of them!" James growled as he heaved a box into the apartment. He faltered at the sight of Dory and Barty, letting the box slowly slide to the floor. "I'm outside for five minutes and you've already replaced me and Lily?" he asked with a grin.

"Who replaced us?" Lily asked, stepping up behind James and smiling as she noticed the new-comers. "Oh, hello! I'm Lily and this is James," she was quick to offer.

James gave a weak wave to the others and dropped his gaze from Dory when she gave him a very flirtatious smile. He slipped his arm around Lily's shoulders and looked back up. "We're together."

"Point taken," Dory laughed.

* * *

James lay wide awake later that night, his arms wrapped around a sleeping Lily Evans. He pulled one hand up and brushed a strand of the girl's copper hair away from her face and let his fingers trace over her bare shoulder. "Lily," he whispered.

Lily shifted in the boy's arms and grudgingly opened her eyes. "What?" she asked, sleep heavy in her voice.

"Marry me," James whispered.

"Sure," Lily muttered before closing her eyes again.

James pushed his fingers back through the girl's hair and chuckled. "I'm serious, Lily. I want you to marry me."

"Okay," the girl answered without opening her eyes. "We can get married."

"Now," James clarified.

Lily's eyes opened wide. "What do you mean by _now_?" she asked, pulling herself up to sit and holding the sheet around her chest.

"And finally she understands," James teased. He sat up and put his hands on Lily's cheeks softly. "I want you to get dressed and go with me to Vegas. Right now. We can be there and be married in less than twenty-four hours. You could be my wife in less than a day."

Lily let out a laugh that was a combination between shock and nervousness. "James, we can't just run off and get married. My parents would freak out."

"You're eighteen. You're going off to another country in a month. You can't let your parents keep dictating what you do. This isn't about them. It's your choice. All yours." He took Lily's hand into his own and put his lips to her palm. "I'll understand if you're not ready, but I am. I know that you're my life and I want to marry you."

Lily gave the boy sympathetic eyes and tilted her head. "We aren't gonna run off and get married just because of some whim you've had, James." She pushed her fingers through his messy hair and gave the boy a soft kiss. "Why don't you think about it for a while, then you can d-"

"Does this look like a whim?" James interrupted. He pulled on a pair of boxers and hurried across his room. The boy stood on his toes and retrieved a tiny ring box from the top of his closet. He headed back over to the bed and knelt down beside it. "It isn't much, because I saved up my allowance for it, but I swear one day I'll get you a huge one." He pulled open the box to reveal a gold band with a small, heart cut diamond. "Marry me?"

An hour later, the phone on Sirius' night stand rang. The sleeping boy groaned and swatted at the device a moment before finally getting it to his ear. "James? Do you know what time it is?" he asked with a whimper. After listening to the other boy for a while, he muttered an, "Alright," and hung up the phone. "Remus, get up." He pushed on the boy's shoulder and gave him a shake until his eyes were open.

"What? What's wrong?" Remus asked groggily as he sat up.

"Get up and get dressed." Sirius threw the covers off of himself and got to his feet. "James and Lily are getting married and they want us there." The boy barely even comprehended what he was saying and that was clear in his disconnected and tired tone.

"What!"

* * *

**A Note From the Author: What! No? Yes? Are they gonna do it? You'll have to find out later. Tell me what you think about the apartment and James and Lily. :D I'm gonna tell you right now, so that you can't get mad when it happens, the next chapter is about Regulus! So yeah. You'll have to wait until the one after for the James/Lily answer. Want updates on stories? Follow me on Twitter Jenna822 or click the link on my Profile page. Thanks for reading. :D –Jenna**


	38. Here I Sit

**Chapter 38: Here I Sit**

**.**

Regulus quickly found that New York was _not_ his kind of place. For the clean cut boy, New York was too busy; the overwhelming mix of smells and noise was almost too much to handle. He hoped desperately that the worst part of the city was the drive to his hotel, but that was proven wrong. He could barely sleep at night from the sirens and occasional fights outside his window and it reflected in his appearance after only two restless nights. Above all, he was lonely. He had been glad when he received the summer internship; the idea of traveling and being on his own for a while intrigued him. But as it was, Regulus was still just a sixteen year old boy and he didn't like being alone.

On his third morning, Regulus got out of bed and dragged himself into the bathroom. It was the day he was meant to arrive at the office and begin his job on the Riddle campaign. His own reflection made him groan in disgust. His eyes bore dark circles and his hair was falling limp and dry. He took extra time in the shower, trying to force his body and mind awake.

An hour in front of the mirror, two outfit changes and three cups of coffee later, Regulus arrived at the campaign office. He was greeted by a portly woman with an accent so thick he could barely understand what she was saying. Luckily for him, he was handed off to another woman for a tour and instructions. He was to spend his days making phone calls. Asking for donations, campaigning for the man's reelection and arranging details for events where Senator Tom Riddle would appear.

Regulus was a bit shocked at how well he was doing after only a few hours. He couldn't help but think that his father had been right in insisting that Regulus would make a good politician. As lunch neared, he began to feel his nerves rise again. Was he meant to stay? Should he go somewhere for food? Was he going to be alone? His answers quickly came in the form of a disheveled errand boy.

"You're new," the boy voiced as he stared down at Regulus. He flashed Regulus a smile and pushed his fingers back through his messy blonde hair.

"And you're late," came an angry tone from the woman in the desk next to Regulus'.

"Get off my back," the boy argued. "My bike had a flat this morning."

"There's always some excuse," the woman growled. "There's always _some_ excuse," she repeated, this time directing her words at Regulus. "I don't know how this little punk keeps his job. Every day there's something..." she trailed off and stared up at the errand boy. "Turkey on wheat. No cheese, same as always," she hissed before returning her attention to her work.

The boy rolled his hazel eyes and turned towards Regulus with a grin. "What can I get you?" he asked the boy, placing his hands on the edge of the desk and leaning forward. When Regulus merely stared at him in silence, the boy laughed. "Lunch. I get the lunch. What do you want?"

Regulus shook his head, slightly flustered, and stuttered out something incomprehensible.

The boy laughed and stood back up right. "I'm gonna assume you said turkey," he laughed. "I'm Kent, by the way. Kent Reacher. I run errands, get lunch, make coffee -"

"- More like comes in late, screws up lunch and ruins coffee. -"

"Get off my damn back," Kent sighed, throwing a glare towards the interrupting woman.

Regulus bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing at the exchange. "I'm...I'm-um, I'm..."

"_You_ are Regulus Black," Kent finished for the nervous boy. "You have yourself a fancy little name plate." He picked up the aforementioned object from Regulus' small desk and turned it around so that the boy could see. "I'll leave it this direction in case you forget again," he added, placing the name plate down to where the name faced Regulus. He gave a quick smile before dashing off to finish taking the lunch orders.

No more than half an hour later, Kent was backed against a wall with a sandwich being waved in his face. "I said turkey, on wheat, no cheese!" the irate woman hissed. "I swear you must have the IQ of a squirrel. There was no possible way to screw this up anymore." She flung the offensive ham and cheese on white sandwich onto the ground and made a distinct _hmpf_ sound before turning around and stomping away.

Regulus stood speechless, his eyes glued to the scattering of bread and cheese on the ground beside him, his own sandwich clutched tightly in his hands. He watched as the boy cleaned up the mess and took a step back when he was approached. "How...how do you mess it up that bad?" he asked.

Kent locked his eyes onto the grey of Regulus', the corner of his lips pulled up into a smirk. "It takes a lot of practice," he answered. He tossed the woman's lunch into the garbage and cleaned off his hands before pulling one back through his hair. "Where you from? I like that accent," he said, handing Regulus a bottle of water.

"C-California," Regulus answered quietly.

"Ah, the Golden coast, so they say?" Kent nodded a bit and leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. "You do a lot of surfing, Cali-boy? You look kinda pale to be out surfing."

"I don't surf...and I don't live on the coast. It's a big state." Regulus ducked his head, looking a bit put off.

"I didn't mean to offend you, I was just making small talk," Kent muttered. "How about I make it up to you?"

Regulus cut his eyes up over his glasses rim and raised one eyebrow in question.

"Do you like theatre?"

* * *

A week later, Regulus was smiling from ear to ear as he climbed into a taxi behind Kent. He wasn't sure what part of the night he enjoyed more; the play, the company or the fact that Kent seemed to be just as into theatre as he was. The two had spent the entire ride over talking about shows they had been in and seen. He even learned the reason why the seemingly inept Kent managed to keep his job; he was the son of one of Senator Riddle's biggest contributors. The two stayed mostly quiet as the taxi drove from the show to the boy's hotel.

"You can come up," Regulus offered without a single thought towards it. "If you want to," he added as a hasty afterthought.

Kent climbed out of the taxi and waved off the driver before letting his hand find the other boy's. "I want to," he answered. He pulled on the boy's hand and forced Regulus to step towards him. "You're cute when you're nervous," he said, staring down at the boy's eyes. He smiled softly and leaned towards the shorter boy, letting his lips brush against Regulus' for the first time.

Regulus tensed up as the other boy initiated the kiss, but he was quick to relax and return the affection. He closed his eyes and rested his free hand on the other boy's neck as their lips moved together. A shiver ran down his spine as he felt the boy's arm snake around his waist and pull him close.

"We should get off the sidewalk," Kent whispered against the other boy's lips.

* * *

The piercing sound of an alarm clock shot through the hotel room, bringing a loud groan out of Kent. Regulus scrambled over the other boy and slapped the device until it was silent. He rubbed at his eyes with the palms of his hands and gasped as Kent wrapped his arms around the boy's waist.

"I have to get up and get dressed," Regulus sighed as he tried to pull out of the boy's arms.

"Or...you could stay right here and _not_ be dressed," Kent suggested with an eyebrow waggle. He ran his thumb over the younger boy's jawline and leaned up to kiss him gently. "Stay in bed," he whispered. "Call in sick, or just don't go."

"I can't do that, this job is important," Regulus argued, though it didn't stop him from laying back down next to the other boy. "Five minutes," he stated.

"How about thirty," Kent countered with a sneaky grin. He pushed his hand over the other boy's bare hip and brought his mouth down onto Regulus'.

The two kissed slowly and Regulus wrapped his arms around Kent's neck to keep him close. After a moment, he pushed the boy away and fumbled out of the sheets. "I can't; I really have to go in." He threw an apologetic smile to the other boy and searched for his boxers. "Can't see," he muttered. "Where are my glasses?"

Kent laughed quietly and pointed towards the door of the hotel room. "Fairly sure they're somewhere over there," he said, getting out of the bed to assist in the search. "Yeah, see, told you," he called out as he spotted the boy's frames near the wall. "I guess I uh...got a little anxious," he said, a faint blush topping his cheeks as he handed the glasses over to the boy.

As Regulus reached for his frames, Kent grabbed his arm and pulled him closer. "You sure you can't be a little late?" he asked quietly as he slipped the glasses into place on the boy's face. He smoothed his hands down Regulus' arms and pressed their foreheads together.

Regulus could feel himself melt into the other boy's touch and smiled up at him. "Maybe just a little late," he whispered before pulling his glasses off and tossing them onto the nearest side table. He put his hands on the boy's chest and tilted his head. "Or a lot late."

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Okay, yes. I did tell you that this would be a Regulus chapter. Now, don't be shy to leave your thoughts, I'd like to hear them. What did you think of Kent here and did you catch his canon reference? Thanks, as always, for reading. :D –Jenna**


	39. Kiss Yourself Goodnight

**Chapter 39: Kiss Yourself Goodnight**

**.**

James Potter clung tightly to his fiancée's hand as they made their way into the airport. Yes, Lily was merely James' fiancée.

Despite four hours of pleading from Remus, numerous phone calls to parents and an offer delivered by James' mother, the two were still dead set on getting their quickie marriage. Audrina Potter had offered to pay for a lavish ceremony when Lily returned from France, but the idea of planning, decorating and having such an abundance of attention only pushed Lily quicker towards the impending nuptials. The wedding was stopped by James, himself. After a long talk, though James would still refer to it as a threat, from Lily's father over the phone, he conceded that their wedding should be a family affair in which everyone could celebrate.

So, there James stood, his fiancée's hand so tight between his own, her skin was beginning to pale. He cast another long glance at his green-eyed future and kissed the top of her hand. "It's only for a year," he whispered, though his words were clearly directed at himself rather than the girl.

"Less than a year," Lily answered, prying her almost deadened fingers from the boy's grasp. "And I'm coming home for Christmas, and I'll call you all the time."

"Hey, can you two stop making kissy faces and help me?" Remus sighed as he stepped up beside the enthralled couple. Bags hung from his shoulders and were clutched in his hands; the boy looked as though he would fall over.

James threw a smug grin at the taller boy and relieved him of the two closest bags. "Wimp," he teased before throwing his free arm around Lily's shoulders and walking along with her. A loud whine escaped the boy's throat as they reached the check-in point. "This is it," he whimpered.

"Wimp," Remus teased, prodding James in the back as he lifted Lily's bags onto the check-in desk. "Come here," he told the girl, opening his arms wide for a hug. Lily came into the boy's arms and the two hugged their goodbyes. "You'd better call and tell me about all the fun you're having. And send me some pictures. Get yourself a beret, eat some fancy cheese and don't you miss a single moment of it." He gave the girl a final squeeze and pulled back, smiling down at her.

"Buy a beret, eat cheese, live it up...got it," Lily repeated with a laugh. She took a deep breath and straightened herself out, the nerves getting her a bit worked up. "I'm excited and terrified at the same time. I didn't think that was possible."

"Sure it is. You remember..." James started with a smirk as he pulled the girl into his arms. He lowered his lips to her ear and after a few whispered words, Lily flushed brighter than a sunburned tomato. James pulled back and stuck his tongue between his teeth to keep from laughing at how embarrassed the girl got at his naughty recollections. "I love you so much, don't you forget that for a single second, you hear me?"

Lily nodded and took a moment to do all of her favorite things with James. She pushed her fingers around in the boy's messy locks; she breathed hotly onto his glasses lens because she loved the frantic face he always made when wiping them off; she laid her face on his chest and breathed in the musky scent of the boy's cologne; then she rose up onto her toes and pressed her lips roughly against his. Neither cared about spectators as they kissed with a growing passion that was stopped by Remus' warning cough.

And so, James and Remus stood side-by-side as they watched Lily walk through the metal detectors and give one last wave before disappearing from sight. It only took a moment for things to become awkward as the two suddenly realized it was the first time they had been alone together. Ever.

"So..." James trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck and rolling onto his heels.

"So," Remus echoed. "We should...go. Go back," he prompted as he turned towards the general direction of the exits.

"Yeah." James nodded and dutifully followed behind Remus, his hands stuffed down into his pockets. "Are you thirsty?" he asked.

Remus gave a halfhearted shrug and tipped his head. "A little, I guess," he muttered as he played with the hem of his tee-shirt.

"This is really weird," James finally said with blunt abandon. "I mean...I didn't really think about this before we left. Being alone..."

"Me either," Remus admitted, his eyes on the floor. "Well...Lily's mom was gonna come so I didn't figure it would be this..."

"Awkward," James finished with a smirk.

* * *

Sirius checked his watch for the fifth time and heaved out a sigh. He dragged his hands through his hair and looked out of the window in the Potters' living room. "_We'll be back by four, Sirius, I promise_," he muttered to himself, using a mocking tone that closely resembled James' voice. "_Just stay here and finish packing. Everything will be fine_." He snorted indignantly and narrowed his eyes. "I knew I shouldn't have stayed behind. They're probably fighting or something, couple of short fuses."

A small giggle sounded from behind the muttering boy, making him turn around with a sheepish expression on his face. "Misses P, don't you know it isn't nice to listen to people when they talk to themselves?" he asked with a laugh.

"Where are my manners?" the woman teased. "I suppose I've been hanging around you boys too much," she added with a grin that could mirror James'. "Are you hungry?"

Sirius smiled at the woman and nodded. "We're supposed to all go for pizza," he answered. "The three of us. But...they aren't back yet and James said they'd be back over an hour ago."

"Yes, I know. I heard you," Audrina Potter pointed out, her delicate face lighting up as she giggled once more. "You can have an apple while you wait," she offered and upon seeing Sirius' lips curl in disgust, she added, "or a cookie."

Sirius gave a small shrug and twisted his hands in front of him.

"If you're that worried, why don't you call one of them?" Audrina asked.

"I don't wanna seem clingy or pushy." Sirius pulled his phone from his pocket and stared down at the screen before stuffing it back down. "No, I'm sure they just stopped to...do something," he attempted, though he had no idea what James and Remus would have stopped for.

The woman's hazel eyes locked out of the window and she nodded towards the street. "The boys aren't back, but there is someone you might wanna see out there."

Sirius whipped around and stared out of the window as his brother's car pulled into the driveway and came to a stop. "He doesn't wanna see me," the boy sighed. He watched intently as his brother got out of the car and collected a suitcase from the trunk. "Maybe...maybe I can just go say hey. Ask how his trip was," he said hesitantly, throwing a glance back at James' mother.

"I think that would be a very good idea," Audrina answered with a motherly smile of support.

The boy climbed up off the couch and shoved his feet down into his shoes before tearing out of the front door and running across the lawn between the Potters' and his old home. "Regulus! Hold on," he called out, making the younger boy stop in his tracks and turn back.

Regulus raised one eyebrow at his brother in confusion and let his suitcase drop to the ground beside him. "Hey," he said rather lamely, unsure what to make of his brother's initiation.

"How was your trip?" Sirius asked as he came to a stop in front of his brother. "To New York," he added, rather proud that he remembered where the boy had been.

The younger Black smirked and shrugged his shoulders a bit. "It was alright," he answered. After a small silence, he reached for his suitcase once more.

"What is that?" Sirius cried out suddenly, catching sight of a smudge of black on his brother's wrist. He stared at the younger boy with wide eyes and grabbed a hold of Regulus' arm. "You got a tattoo," he said with a loud laugh, pushing back the boy's thin sleeve to see it better.

"Shut up!" Regulus hissed, prying his arm from his brother's grip and staring down at his wrist. He traced his fingers around the outline of the comedy mask etched on his arm. "It's just a tattoo," he whispered. "No reason to shout it to the neighborhood."

"Where's the rest of it?" Sirius asked, folding his arms over his chest and giving his brother a knowing look.

"Rest...of it?" the smaller boy asked innocently.

Sirius tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. "I've seen that thing before. The mask. On your wall. There's a frowny one and a smiley one; that's just a smiley one, so _where_ is the frowny one?"

"They aren't called frowny and smiley, Sirius," Regulus snapped. "They are called comedy and tragedy masks. And...it isn't your business where the other one is." He stuck his nose up and grabbed his suitcase, then started towards the house.

Sirius made an argumentative sound and chased after his brother, stopping the boy after only a few steps. "You met someone," he said with a growing smile. "You did. You met someone and she or...he talked you into a tattoo. Someone talked Mister Up Tight Regulus Black into a tattoo," he said, still smiling like a fool.

Regulus took a deep breath and glanced towards the door of the house. "Just...shut up. You're gonna get me into trouble." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the door once more. "Yes, I met someone. Yes, I got a _tattoo_," continued Regulus, the last of his words coming out in a whisper. "What the hell do you care anyways?"

"I care!"

"You never care. You didn't call even once the entire time I was gone and now you're pretending to care, because of what? Because you saw me in the driveway? Because you caught me doing something I'm not supposed to?" Regulus shook his head and took a step back from his brother. "I'm not you. I'm never gonna _be_ you. Just because I did something insanely stupid, that happens to be the same insanely stupid thing you did, that doesn't mean I'm like you." He took another step back and stared at the ground. "Go away. I'll get in trouble if I get caught talking to you."

"I'm your brother," Sirius started.

"Since when?" Regulus countered. "Being blood doesn't make you my brother. You've always treated me like crap unless you wanted something. There's your real brother," he added, pointing towards James' car as it turned into the Potters' driveway. "Stay away from me." The boy took advantage of his brother's distraction and hurried into the house.

Sirius flinched as the sound of a slamming door shot across the lawn. He closed his eyes and took slow, soothing breaths in an effort to calm his temper before he dealt with Remus and James' late arrival. Slowly, he started towards James' car, sure that the two had gotten into a fight or that something was wrong. Instead, he was greeted by the laughing faces of two very dirty boys.

James and Remus were covered in remnants of dried mud. It was obvious they had beaten the bulk of it from their clothing, but their hair still stuck up in odd angles and their skin was tinted all over. The two waved happily to Sirius, then exchanged words amongst themselves that Sirius was too far away to hear.

"Where the hell have you two been?" Sirius cried out, looking over the boys in shock.

"Calm down, Sirius. Don't get all mad," James muttered.

"Don't you mean _ma-aa-aa-ad_?" Remus asked, bleating out his _a_ to sound like a sheep.

James sniggered and nodded at the other boy. "Yeah, no need to be _sa-aa-aa-ad_," he bleated.

"You should be _gla-aa-aa-ad_," Remus added, still holding to the sheep impersonations.

"Are you two drunk?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrows in shock at his sheep mimicking companions. "No, you aren't drunk...James was driving. So, what in the world is wrong with you two?"

"James got a flat," Remus started.

"Didn't have a spare," James continued.

"So we called a truck."

"Then there were sheep."

"A _lot_ of sheep."

"And a guy who looked like a sheep."

"And his sheep loving wife."

At this point, both boys doubled over in laughter and threw each other knowing looks. Remus reached out for Sirius, but the boy stepped away.

"You're dirty," Sirius pointed out.

"So?"

"Why are you dirty?"

"That's the funniest part!" James cried out.

"There was a sheep."

"You already mentioned the sheep," Sirius interrupted.

"No, but this was a _different_ sheep," James corrected.

"You know what?" Sirius held his hands up and waved them to silence the other boys. "I don't wanna know. I really don't. You two can have your little inside sheep jokes, I'd rather not know. Just get a damn shower and let's get some dinner."

"Oh, come on, Sirius, it isn't that _ba-aa-aa-ad_!"

* * *

**A Note From the Author: How did you like that _cha-aa-aa-apter_? Sorry, no more sheepese...:) So anyways, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to leave me few words of thought. I love your feedback, even if you hate it. (Y) So, I'm quite literally freaking out. Did you know this story is almost over? Yes, it is. There is the next chapter (Drive Away) then (Too Far Gone) and THEN the epilogue. That's right. Three more chapters left. *freaks out* :D –Jenna**


	40. Drive Away

**Chapter 40: Drive Away**

**.**

"Mom, stop. Please, mom!" James pushed himself out of his mother tight embrace and tugged at the hem of his shirt to smooth it out. "You're gonna suffocate me."

"Oh, hush, you can breathe when you're at sch-o-o-l," Audrina replied, her words trailing off into a shaking sob. She cast her tear filled eyes onto her son and swiftly pulled him back into another hug, squeezing the boy fiercely. "I'm gonna miss you so much," she cried.

James squirmed in his mother's hold and looked to his father for salvation. Harold took his wife's arms and slowly pried them off of her son. "Let him go, dear," Harold whispered, relieved when he finally managed to free James from the woman's tight hold. He gave his wife a comforting hug and turned towards the boy. "James," he started with a proud and steady voice. After a moment, the man broke and pulled his son into a hug that rivaled Audrina's.

"Dad!" James cried out as he was once again finding himself constricted and coddled. "You two are acting like I'm going into Space or something. I'll only be a few hours away. You can drive up whenever you want." He took a gasping breath as he was released from his father's embrace and stepped back. "Well, not _whenever_ you want. But a lot. I mean, just...just call first, maybe, yeah?"

"Look at him, Harold," Audrina whimpered. "He's going off to college, asking us to call before we visit, driving away without a single care about his poor parents left behind missing their baby." She pushed her face into her husband's shoulder; her shoulders shook with her silent sobs.

"Mom, don't say that," James pleaded, his face falling in guilt. "You can come up all you want, promise." He locked eyes with his father and whimpered. James hated when his mother was upset. "Make her stop crying," he begged the man. "I can't leave if she's crying."

"Good!" Audrina cried out, launching herself back at her son and pulling him into yet another hug. "I don't want you to leave."

James returned his mother's affection and sighed. "I know you don't. I'm...well I'm gonna miss you too, I really will. But I have to grow up, don't I?" he asked quietly as he hugged his mother back. "Everything will be just fine. I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks for parents' day."

Audrina nodded and stepped back from the boy. "You're becoming such a man," she whispered, her eyes springing into a new flood of tears. The woman turned away and went in search of a tissue, leaving her son and husband behind in the living room.

Harold stared down at the boy and clapped him hard on the shoulder. "She's right, you know? You've really grown up a lot in the last few months and well...I'm proud of you, son." He mussed up the boy's hair and shoved him towards the door. "Now, you get yourself to college and let me and your mother have some private time," he said with a teasing laugh. Despite the man's smile, his eyes were verging on resembling his wife's.

James smiled back at his father and made a quick break for his car. He longed for freedom, but he would miss the warm and comforting environment of his home. He would miss the over coddling and the fussing and even the occasional grounding. He faltered in his steps as he spotted a figure beside his car. "What do you want?" he asked, cautious at approaching Regulus.

Regulus looked up from staring at the ground and shifted awkwardly on the spot. "I, um, I just-I just wanted to ask..." He huffed in frustration and shook his head. "I just wanted to ask if you were leaving today. I saw you packing the car and I wanted to know if Sirius was going today...with you."

James twisted his lips as he considered Regulus' words. "No. He isn't." He pushed past the boy and hurried to his car. His hand on the door, he hesitated and turned back to Regulus. "He's leaving tomorrow. He has to wait for someone else...so... No, he isn't leaving today." He gave a curt nod and climbed into his car to drive away.

* * *

Remus sat on the end of his and Sirius' bed, his hands folded in his lap, his eyes locked in a mindless trance. Hundreds of thoughts raced through his mind, though not a one could form so fully as to make him speak. There was nothing left to say anyways. The goodbyes had spread over the last few days: heartfelt conversations, promises to call, passionate sex and hidden tears. And now, there was nothing left to do but leave.

"Moony," whispered Sirius as he knelt down in front of the other boy. "It's time to go." He scooted as close as he could get and rubbed his hands over Remus' legs. "Everything's all loaded," he continued in his whisper. His hands reached up and pushed back through Remus' long, shaggy locks, pulling them back from his face. He stared up into the boy's eyes and rose up to give him a soft kiss.

Remus leaned down and deepened their kiss, putting his hands on the other boy's neck and holding him close. "I love you so much," he whispered right against the boy's lips. "I don't wanna go."

"I know you don't," Sirius answered, closing his eyes tightly for a moment. "It isn't forever though. Christmas will be here before we know it and I'm gonna come see you for the weekend in October, remember? I've already go the ticket. It'll be...well it'll suck so much, but we're gonna be just fine." He leaned up again and engaged the boy in a fierce, heated kiss before pulling away and standing up. "Come on."

After a long, deep breath, Remus got up and slipped his hand into Sirius', lacing their fingers together tightly. The two walked out of the apartment in silence and headed down to Remus' truck. They stopped beside the driver's side door and took another moment to entangle themselves in a long kiss. Finally, Sirius pulled away and took a step back.

"I love you," Sirius said resolutely. "Now, get your ass in that truck and go get your Ivy League degree," he said, trying his best to sound firm.

Remus smirked at the other boy and nodded slowly. "I'll call you when I stop tonight," he said before reaching out and meeting Sirius' hand in the middle.

Sirius squeezed the boy's hand, kissed his fingers and forced himself to let go. He walked back up onto the sidewalk to watch Remus drive away. He stuffed his hands down into his pockets and slowly walked back towards the apartment. Each step felt like an eternity to the boy; he dreaded going back inside alone. He knew that painful visions awaited him inside: Remus' side of the bed, devoid of its pillow; the bookshelves, stripped of several volumes; the kitchen cabinet that was now missing a mug shaped like SpongeBob.

The silence overtook him as he stepped back into the apartment and closed the door. His eyes scanned the room, his body unsure of what to do. It was difficult to think, to focus on what was next. Slowly, the realization that he had to finish packing for himself came back to him. He rubbed his hands over his face and glanced down at his watch. His eyes widened as he realized how long he had been standing at the front door, motionless.

Sirius didn't want to fold his jeans, but he did because he wanted his hands busy. He did not want to organize his bathroom toiletries according to size, but he did because he wanted his mind busy. He most certainly did not want to stack his tee-shirts in order of color according to the rainbow system, but he did, because had he not taken extra time in packing, that would be extra time to sit around and think about Remus.

With his bags packed and his car's trunk already full of his school things, Sirius had nothing left to do but wait. He took a seat on the couch and stared at the black screen of the television. Over a thousand channels and nothing piqued the boy's interest. He groaned loudly and tossed the remote onto the coffee table before leaning back into the soft of the cushions.

A knock startled Sirius and brought him to his feet. "Who is it?" he called out, feeling odd with his words. He peeked out of the peep hole and bit his bottom lip. "Regulus?" he asked quietly as he pulled open the door and stared over at his brother. "How did you get here?"

"Drove my car," Regulus answered in a tone that screamed _what_ _a_ _stupid_ _question_.

"I meant how did you get through the gate, smart ass," Sirius growled.

"Oh." Regulus ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I got the code fr-from Remus."

"I could have buzzed you in."

"I didn't think you would, actually."

Sirius raised one eyebrow and stared at the top of his brother's head as the boy wouldn't look up at him. He waited, wondering why Regulus was there, but the answer never came. "Do you wanna come in?" he asked finally.

Regulus shook his head and peeked up from the tops of his glasses. "I can't stay, I just wanted to come by a minute. I..." The boy took a deep breath and held his head up right. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about the other day. I shouldn't have blown you off like that...I was upset and I took it out on you."

"You were right though," Sirius admitted.

"I know I was, but I still shouldn't have said it. I call you a bad brother, but it's not like I make the effort either. We just never clicked, but that doesn't mean that I don't love you. You _are_ my brother and I'm gonna miss you. I _have_ missed you." Regulus cleared his throat awkwardly and scooted his toes across the concrete. "I should go," he muttered before walking away.

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Short chapter, I know, but I really didn't wanna drag out the painful stuff too much. The chapters are coming so quickly because my Muse (and extra Halloween candy) went into hyper-drive and I am actually finished writing this. :D Sorry that I haven't responded to reviews from last chapter yet. I will. Leave me some thoughts? :D –Jenna**


	41. Too Far Gone

**Chapter 41: Too Far Gone**

**.**

The halls of Milton Preparatory Academy just didn't seem the same to Regulus Black. The lockers were just as he remembered them, the smell from the cafeteria was just as potent as ever, even the teachers were identical to his memories. But something _had_ changed over the summer and Regulus was beginning to suspect that it was in his head. It wasn't the school that was different, it was him.

He stood quietly in front of an all-too-familiar locker and ran his fingers over the shelves that he had placed inside to hold his books. His body felt wrong in the neat little uniform; the tie felt as though it were closing in around his neck. Regulus had always loved his life; the structure, tidiness and conformity had always been comforting. And now, all he wanted to do was run. As much as he had hated being in New York, he longed for that noise, that chaos, that...company.

"Missed you this summer," came the soft and low voice of a beautiful blonde.

Regulus couldn't help but notice that Brittney had only gotten more attractive over the months since he last saw her. The sun tinted coloring sat nicely on the girl's skin. He gave her a small smile and turned his attention back to the inside of his locker.

"That's all you have for me? A little smile?" she asked, a giggle lacing her words. "What's the matter, you too good for us West coasters now?" She pushed her palm into the boy's shoulder and moved her fingers up into his hair.

"Don't do that," Regulus snapped, swatting the girl's hand away and taking a step back. "Don't..." He shook his head and brushed his fingers down the strands the girl had mussed.

Brittney rolled her eyes and flipped her blonde strands back from her shoulder. "So sorry, Mister Perfect, didn't mean to mess up your hair," she sighed before laying her hand on the boy's shoulder and leaning towards him.

"Don't," Regulus repeated, taking a large step back from the girl and letting her teeter dangerously close to falling over. "I didn't mean don't touch my hair, I mean...don't touch me," he clarified. "We aren't doing...whatever it is we do. Not this year," he said as he stepped around the girl and closed his locker.

"And why not?" she spat, not bothering to hold back her clear annoyance.

Regulus flinched his hand closed and stared down at his sleeve covered wrist. "We just aren't, alright? I don't have to explain myself to you." He turned sharply on his heel and sped off towards his first class of the day; first class of the year actually. A nervous look crossed the boy's face as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He ducked off into a corner and discreetly looked down at his screen.

**K. Reacher to R. Black: Call me when u can. I miss u!**

Regulus smiled down at his phone and mentally counted the days until next summer.

* * *

Lily Evans felt remarkably comfortable in Paris. The red-head thought that her face looked over sized when she wore a beret and she spent the first week spitting out more flavors of cheese than she could count, but aside from that, the girl loved everything about the city. The only thing that would have possibly made her happier, or so she often thought, was if James was there to share the experience. She knew that alone time was healthy and there wasn't a shred of doubt in her mind that their relationship could overcome the distance and only be stronger for the time apart. This knowledge didn't stop her from occasionally plucking a photo from her nightstand and staring down at it with saddened eyes.

"Put away ze photo," came a smooth French accent from the open doorway of Lily's dormitory.

Lily glanced up and smirked at her roommate. "I can't help it, I miss him," she said with a pout.

The girl in the door frame groaned playfully and took a seat on the bed next to Lily. Her shining blue eyes locked onto the photo in the other girl's hands and she tilted her head, making a pleased humming sound. "He iz...très beau, if I may say," she whispered.

"No, you may not say," Lily snapped, though her tone was clearly teasing. She clutched the photo to her chest and giggled at the other girl. "Tous les mien," she said, sticking her nose up into the air and smiling down at her. "Get your own beau, Apolline," she huffed before sticking the photo into her nightstand drawer.

"I waz only kidding," Apolline sighed as she got to her feet and threw herself face down onto her own bed. The girl's golden blonde wave of hair scattered over her pillow and covered her face in a shimmery veil. "We should go danzing tonight," she said loudly so that her words could be heard through the covering of pillow. "I want to zee that boy again, what waz 'is name?"

"Gabien," Lily answered. "Gabien...Delacour, I think." She twisted a red strand of hair around her finger and stared over at the other girl with curiosity. "Would I make a good blonde?" she asked.

Apolline giggled into her pillow and shook her head. "You would make a terrible blonde," she answered as she sat up and pushed her hair back out of her face. "Your beau likez you red, then I zay you stay red. You don't want to make 'im theenk you want to be different."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Lily sighed. She pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail and laid back on her bed.

"If it iz a risk you are looking for, zomething more...dangerous, I might have an idea for you," Apolline cooed in a casual tone. She fished a small digital camera out of her nightstand and waved it at the girl. "I zay you send your sexy man a...sexy photo. Give 'im zomething to hold onto at night."

Lily gasped loudly and stared over at her roommate with eyes like saucers. "No! I couldn't," she cried out. She sat up on her bed and locked her emerald eyes onto the camera. "Could I?" she asked hesitantly. When the other girl wiggled the camera in temptation, Lily bit her bottom lip and smiled. "Well...maybe just one."

* * *

James Potter hated his dormitory room. He hated the bed. He hated the noisy hallways. He hated the strange smell that he was beginning to suspect of coming from under his roommate's bed. Most of all, he hated that aforementioned roommate was not his long time best friend, Sirius Black. How was he supposed to know that the form labeled _Housing_ had anything to do with roommate assignments? "It was a simple mistake," he had told the overweight, man in charge of housing placement. Perhaps, looking back on the situation, getting angry and calling the man "Slughead" wasn't the best of ideas. It wasn't all James' fault, after all, with a name like _Slughorn_, you're bound to get an insult or two.

James groaned as he walked into his room and was hit with the familiar smell he had grown to loathe over the last two weeks. He dragged his hands through his messy dark locks and dropped down heavily onto the edge of his bed, letting his bag fall to the floor beside him. "I hate this school," he muttered at the floor.

"Don't whine so much, Jamesey," Sirius laughed as he followed the boy into the room. "Oh, what is that smell?" he cried out suddenly, scrunching his nose up in disgust. "Really? What is that?" he repeated.

"I don't know," James sighed. He threw his hands up in exasperation and slapped them back down on his legs. "I really don't know. It's like a weird cross between roasted chicken and window cleaner." He shuddered violently and dug his mail out of his bag. "Got a package from mom," he pointed out as he pulled free a small box and started tearing into the brown paper.

"Chocolate chip cookies, extra socks and a lesson planner," Sirius said with a casual tone as he sat down on the end of James' bed and laid back.

James' eyebrows raised slowly as he began to pull out exactly what Sirius had guessed. "How...how did you know that?" he asked slowly as he eyed over the package of socks. He stuffed a cookie into his mouth and shoved the lesson planner aside as though it were part of the wrapping on the box. "That was freaky."

"I got the same thing," Sirius laughed. "Opened mine this morning."

"Shoulda known. After all, you are her favorite," James teased, prodding his friend in the side.

A loud, throat clearing cough broke across the room. The boys both looked up and watched as a beefy boy with beady eyes and barely any neck walked into the room. The large boy kept his eyes on James and Sirius, as though he were preparing for an attack, while he walked over to his bed and put his school bag down onto it.

"You should really close the door if you're going to bring your boyfriend in here," the boy spat with a pompous tone, his nose turning up in the air.

"He isn't my -"

"No, James, he's right," Sirius called out with a grin. He sat up on the bed and draped his arm around James' shoulders, resting his face dangerously close to the other boy's. "We shoulda closed the door, dear. It was _oh_ _so_ _rude_ of us not to," he cooed in his most loving voice while batting his lashes at the boy. He smirked when James actually went along by putting his arm around his waist.

The large boy's sneer flinched a bit and he was quick to turn on his heels and storm back out of the dorm room leaving James and Sirius to burst into a fit of laughter.

"You better watch it there, Sirius, I'll call Lupin and tell him you were making eyes at me," James teased before pulling away and stuffing another cookie into his mouth.

Sirius smirked and snagged a treat from James. "I'll just tell Lily that you made them right back," he pointed out with a nod. "Speaking of..." he trailed off, picking up a thick envelope bearing Lily's handwriting. "Looks like the Misses sent you a little something." He tossed it over into James' lap and resumed sifting through the boy's mail.

James made a confused hum and pulled open the top of the envelope. "Why would she write me? We talk on the phone like every other day. Oh, pictures," he cried out excitedly as he stared down at a photo of Lily in a beret with a very unhappy frown on her face. "She thinks they make her look fat," he explained to Sirius as he handed the picture to the other boy to see. "Oh, here's one of her and her roommate." He also handed that photo to Sirius. "Some _guy_ standing on the edge of this one," he sneered before, "Holy shit!"

"What?"

James shook his head frantically and clutched the remaining photo to his chest. "Get out!"

"Get out?" Sirius scoffed. "Why do I gotta get out?"

"Because I said to," James whined. "Just go, go, go, I'll see you later." He shoved at the boy's shoulder roughly, nearly knocking him from the bed.

"I'm going, don't get all pushy," Sirius snapped as he got to his feet and wiped the crumbs from his shirt. "Gah, you're so weird sometimes."

"Just go!"

Sirius huffed angrily and headed out of the boy's room, making sure to close the door behind him. He muttered under his breath about _James_ and _mood_ _swings_ as he headed down the hallway to his own dorm. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dropped down onto his bed with a loud sigh. "Hopefully you're not too busy for me," he said to the phone as he scrolled through for Remus' number.

_"Hey, babe!"_ Remus answered almost instantly.

"Hey, you sound excited." Sirius smiled happily and cuddled against his pillow. "What are you doing that's got you so happy?"

_"I'm happy to talk to you."_

"You're that happy over me? Wow, you must really like me, huh?" Sirius teased.

_"Ah, you're alright, I guess."_ Remus' words were followed by a soft laugh.

Sirius laughed into the phone and closed his eyes. "What are you doing? Well, what were you doing before I called? I didn't interrupt did I?"

_"No, you didn't interrupt. I'm just heading outside, actually. On my way to get some dinner."_

"Dinner?" Sirius raised one eyebrow and glanced down at the clock on the screen of his phone. "Eating kinda early, aren't you?"

_"Babe," _Remus laughed out. _"It's after six already. I'm eating late."_

"Damn it," Sirius muttered. "I'm gonna get used to the time difference thing...eventually."

Remus laughed again and nodded his head at the boy's words. "I'm sure you will. Just think though, at least you don't have it as bad as James. Lily said he keeps waking up her up at three a m."

_"Yeah, he said that her roommate answered a few days ago. Good thing for him he doesn't speak French."_

"I'd have to agree there," Remus answered. "Hey, I'm gonna get my dinner real quick and I'll take it back to the room so I can talk. Call you back in about ten minutes?" he asked, stopping outside the door to a local cafe.

_"Okay, but make it quick. I wanna tell you about book I -"_

"Book?"

_"Yes, Moony, a book. Have you forgotten what those are?" _Sirius' laugh brought a smile to Remus' face. _"Anyways...I wanna tell you about it."_

"I'll hurry," Remus promised. "I love you."

_"You're only saying that because I mentioned books."_

"Sirius!"

_"I'm kidding, sexy, I love you too. Now get your dinner and call me back."_

Remus smiled to himself as he shoved his phone down in his pocket and started inside. His smile was quick to fade as spotted his roommate standing at the ordering counter. The boy's greasy black hair was enough to make him recognizable, but on top of that, he always wore a heavy black overcoat, despite the overwhelming heat of the season.

"Oh great," the boy muttered as Remus stepped up behind him. "Isn't it bad enough I have to be around you in the room? Now I have to see you when I eat, too."

"I'm not staying, so shut up," Remus retorted, his eyes narrowing at the other boy. "Like anyone could eat around you anyways," he added in a quiet mutter.

A loud, obnoxious laugh erupted from behind Remus and a large boy clapped him on the back. "You got that right, Lupin! I don't know how anyone could eat around Snivellus there," the boy called out rather loudly. "You're in for one hell of a year, I guarantee it!"

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Okay, there it is. The last actual chapter of the story. All that remains is the Epilogue. Just to do a little pointing out. Snape is Remus' roommate; Vernon is James' roommate and Apolline is Fleur's mother. Let me know what you thought of the chapter and as always, Thank You! :D –Jenna**


	42. Epilogue: Happy Endings

**Epilogue: Happy Endings**

***19 Years Later***

**.**

The clock on the dashboard read out 4:07 when Remus Lupin pulled his car into the underground parking structure of his apartment building. The man shut off the engine and let his light blue eyes wander out of the window to the empty spot next to his own car. A slight frown crossed the aged features on the man's face as he climbed out of the car and headed into the building. A quick stop at the mailboxes in the lobby of the apartments left him standing near a recycle bin and loosening his tie as he stared down and sorted out junk mail from that of substance.

"Hello there, Doctor Lupin," came the ragged voice of an elderly woman as she stepped up next to Remus with her own mail in hand.

Remus flashed the woman a bright smile and tossed a pile of advertisements into the green recycle bin. "Hello, Miss Figg. Now, I've told you, there's no need to call me that outside of the office. You can call me Remus, I am your neighbor after all."

"Yes, yes, a habit, you see," replied the elderly woman as she waved her hand towards the man.

Remus grinned again and stuffed one hand into his pocket while the other grabbed up the mail. "Have a good evening then," he said, politely as he made his way to the elevators. He stepped inside and punched the button for his floor.

"Wait!"

Remus reached out and slapped his hand over the door of the elevator to keep it from closing. His heart gave a small leap as he recognized the voice. "Harry? You weren't supposed to be here until five; why so early?" he asked as a boy, holding a small duffel bag, joined him in the elevator.

Harry looked up at Remus and smiled, then dropped his bag. "Uncle Vernon wanted to go to some family function thing, so I took the earlier bus over. That's...okay, right?" he asked, his emerald eyes growing wide behind his glasses.

"It's fine. You're lucky though. If I hadn't had a canceled appointment, no one would be here." Remus punched the proper button again to close the doors.

"I coulda just waited over at Dora's. She's always telling me to come by more," Harry said with a shrug. "I don't mind either. She's really nice and she has all these old records."

"Yes, well how would your dear Ginny feel about you spending time with that young lady?" Remus asked with a small smirk on his lips.

Harry shifted nervously and scooped up his bag as the elevator came to a stop. "She...she wouldn't mind. Besides, Dora's too old for me and...she totally has a crush on _you_." The boy let out a laugh as Remus' face fell and the man shook his head. "Come on, I think you two would be adorable together. She could dye your hair pink to match hers."

At this point, Remus couldn't help but to laugh along with Harry. The two headed down the hallway and stopped in front of the proper door. "I think that there's someone who might be inclined to disagree with you there," Remus said as he unlocked the door and held up his left hand. He wiggled his fingers to show off a thick silver band on his ring finger, a clear indication of his married status. "Don't you a think?"

"Yeah, I know," Harry laughed as he followed Remus into the apartment and hurried past him. He returned to the living room a moment later, shed of his bag and jacket. "What's for dinner tonight? Pizza or Chinese?" he asked, throwing himself down on the couch and turning around to face Remus.

Remus discarded his keys and wallet in a small bowl sitting atop a table next to the front door. "Maybe I was going to cook tonight," Remus answered with a grin. When he was met with skeptical eyes, Remus laughed. "Pizza. Should be here in a little bit." He moved to sit next to the boy on the couch and the two began their typical once a month rundown of Harry's life.

They spoke about Harry's classes, his girlfriend, his friends, even a teacher that he had a particular distaste for. The boy was in the midst of recanting an argument he had been in with a kid in his class when the front door opened once more.

Two large pizza boxes shielded the face of Sirius Black as he stepped into the apartment and kicked the door closed behind him. "Anybody order some pizza?" he called out. "Moony, I don't know how the two of us are gonna eat all this by ourselves," he teased, acting as though he couldn't see the young boy now prying the boxes from his hand.

"_Sirius_," Harry whined playfully as he finally got the boxes free from the man's hand.

"Oh, Harry! I didn't see you there," Sirius gasped, beaming a smile down at the boy and giving him a wink. "Go put 'em on the table, I gotta put my stuff down." He let out a quiet laugh as Harry scurried away into the dining room with the boxes, then raised his eyebrows playfully at Remus as the other man walked over to him.

Remus hooked his fingertips into the shoulders of Sirius' sport jacket and slid it down off of his arms. He hung it up on the hook by the door while Sirius dropped his keys, wallet and Detective's badge into the same bowl that Remus' had been laid in. The man smiled softly when he felt a familiar tug on his hair as Remus slid the elastic band from his black locks. His hair now freely spilled back down around his face.

"I hate that thing," Remus whispered as he tossed the band onto the table and passed his fingers through Sirius' hair. He wrapped his arms around the man's waist from behind and pushed his face into the curve of his neck. "It should be illegal to make you keep your hair back like that." He smiled against the man's skin and reached down, patting the gun holster on Sirius' hip. "Put that in the bedroom," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to Sirius' neck before pulling back away from him.

Sirius rolled his eyes and unhooked the holster from around his waist. "He's fourteen, already. Do you really think something's gonna happen?"

"Accidents happen, babe. Just put it away," Remus answered. After a pause, he added, "Please."

Sirius consented and headed off to the bedroom. He dropped his gun holster onto the dresser and pulled his fingers back through his hair as he stretched his back and groaned loudly. "Remus!" A sneaky grin crossed the man's face. "Hurry, get in here!" he added, throwing fake panic into his voice.

Remus' form appeared in the doorway almost instantly, his eyes wide and worried. "What is it?"

Sirius' lips pulled into a half grin and he curled his finger, beckoning the other man over to him. "Come here," he said, pouting out his bottom lip and batting his lashes innocently.

A stern look crossed Remus' face as he moved over to stand in front of Sirius. "You had me worried," he said with a flat tone. "What do you want, anyways?" He grinned back at the other man and put his arms out, circling them around Sirius' waist and pulling him closer. "Is this what you wanted?" he asked, leaning down and touching their foreheads together. "Hmm? Is it?" he teased, swaying just slightly and staring down into the grey of Sirius' eyes. He lowered his lips and engaged him in a slow, gentle kiss.

"Siri- Oh, sorry," came Harry's voice from the doorway. The boy dropped his head and blushed faintly at having interrupted a private moment. "I was just... I can wait." He gave a quiet laugh before turning around and heading back to the dining room.

The two men laughed as well. They dropped their arms and broke apart, both intending to follow behind Harry for dinner. Sirius caught Remus by the hand and stopped him. "What's that?" he asked, pointing down towards a large manila envelope laying on the bed.

"That came certified mail this morning. The guy barely caught me as I was heading out; it's from our lawyer. I haven't even looked at it yet, I wanted to wait for you." Remus took a seat on the bed and picked up the envelope. "Kinda nervous..." he muttered as he pulled Sirius to sit down next to him on the bed.

"Just open it. Being nervous won't change the answer," Sirius insisted reaching for the envelope.

Remus pulled it from the man's reach and loosened the brads on it. He reached in and slid out a packet of papers, all held together with a binder clip. The men shared an uneasy glance before Remus looked down and started reading. "Dear Messrs Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, we w-"

"There's a good sign," Sirius interrupted with a huff.

"Sirius, don't interrupt."

"I'm just saying! If they can't even bother to get your last name right, this isn't gonna be good news." Sirius hung his head and grabbed onto his hair as though he were bracing for tragedy.

Remus cleared his throat and muttered through the greeting once more, this time frowning at his own name, then continued. "We would like to inform you that your request for sole and permanent guardianship over the minor child, Harry James Potter, has been-" at this point, Remus took a long breath and smiled.

Sirius looked up at the pause and raised his eyebrows. "Well?"

"Has been granted," Remus whispered. His hands shook slightly as he stared down at the paper; a grin pulled across his face so far it hurt.

Sirius' mouth hung open in shock for what felt like hours. He gasped for breath and closed his eyes, trying to contain the tears that were threatening to escape. His eyes burned and his chest heaved softly with un-shed sobs and giddy laughter. "Granted," he repeated, his voice soft and broken. He opened his eyes and met Remus' teary gaze, then reached out and put his hands on the man's cheeks. "Granted," he whispered again.

"Granted," Remus echoed.

"Granted!" Sirius cried out with a joyful laugh. He wrapped his arms tightly around Remus' neck and breathed heavily, trying to keep himself calm. "This is fantastic, Moony," he whispered. "He's...he's gonna stay. He's here to stay. He- James would..." He took a deep breath and got to his feet. "Do we tell him now?"

"Might as well," Remus said with a shrug. "No reason not to." He stared down at the papers and skimmed through them a bit, just glancing at the things their lawyer had highlighted. "We have to see a counselor once a month for a while, and...take some class, but other than that, it's final."

"I knew it, they're making you take a cooking class," Sirius teased as he started to the door. "'Bout time someone did something about that."

"Hey! I'm not the one who set the kitchen on fire last year," Remus laughed as he followed behind the other man. "My culinary genius far outweighs yours."

"Nu uh. Who made dinner just now?"

"The pizza place."

"Yeah, but I _made_ the phone call."

Remus merely sighed and let Sirius have his minor victory.

* * *

Sirius awoke the next morning to the sound of a running shower. He kept his eyes closed tight and ran his hand over the empty place in the bed next to him, hoping that he was imagining the sound and would find Remus still fast asleep. When his hand brushed over bare sheets, he groaned and opened his eyes to see the bed empty.

"Moony, what are you doing up so early?" Sirius forced out through his yawn as he stepped into the bathroom. He leaned back against the wall next to the shower and peeked in with a smile. When he received a small splash of water in his direction, he dodged out of the way and laughed.

"It isn't early, babe. It's almost nine and we're going to the zoo, remember?" Remus shut off the water and grabbed his towel from the rack. "You gonna shower before we go?" he asked, wrapping himself in the towel and grabbing his toothbrush.

"Nah, I'm clean enough," Sirius answered as he joined Remus in front of the single bathroom sink.

**The End**

* * *

**A Note From the Author: Yes, that is the end. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter and the story as a whole. I**** want to give a little thank you to Marc, because without him, this story wouldn't have gotten past Chapter 6. His time and tolerance is so greatly appreciated. :D And of course: Thank you so much to all of my readers and all the reviewers. You guys are wonderful! :D –Jenna**


	43. Author Note

**Hello to all of my "The All-American Rejects" readers.**

**I know you were all expecting a sequel, but I've chosen to cancel it. I'm so sorry.**

**I just couldn't get it going. Thank you again for your reads/reviews. :) -Jenna**


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